MILITARY  ENGLISH 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK   •    BOSTON    •    CHICAGO   •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA   •    SAN    FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •    BOMBAY   •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.   OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


MILITARY  ENGLISH 

OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCE,  ORDERS,  MESSAGES,  AND 

REPORTS    FOR    USE    IN    COURSES    ALLIED 

TO    INSTRUCTION    IN    MILITARY 

SCIENCE  AND  TACTICS 


BY 
PERCY  WALDRON  LONG,  Ph.D. 

CAPTAIN   AND   ADJUTANT.    HARVARD    R.O.T.C 

ADJUTANT   IN   THE   SCHOOL   OF   ADJUTANTS,    PLATTSBURG 

(NOW   SECOND   LIEUTENANT,    INFANTRY,    U.S.A.) 

AND 

FRANK  WILSON   CHENEY  HERSEY,  A.M. 

INSTRUCTOR   IN    ENGLISH    IN   HARVARD   UNIVERSITY 

FIRST   LIEUTENANT,    HARVARD    R.O.T.C. 

"  CO-AUTHOR   OF   ENGLISH    COMPOSITION" 


8ri)e  (ttfi':t  JWUitars  (^tensor 


•        ,  <* 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

1918 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1918, 
By  the   MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Sei  up  and  clectrotyped.     Published  December,  1918. 


J.  S.  Gushing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 


In  view  of  the  fact  that  English  Composition  has  been  recognized  as  one 
of  the  courses  of  training  essential  to  the  soldiers  and  oflBcers  of  the  United 
States  Military  Forces,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  English  teachers  to  modify 
their  instruction  so  as  to  conform  to  the  recommendation  made  by  the  War 
Department  Committee  on  Education  in  the  Special  Descriptive  Circular  on 
English  (C.  b.  6-Sept.  24).  The  authors  have  sought  to  prepare  a  brief 
book  to  meet  the  second  of  the  requirements  named  in  the  War  Department 
circular  —  drill  in  correspondence  and  report  writing  and  their  adaptation 
to  the  needs  of  the  military  organization. 

The  most  direct  purpose  which  the  book  will  serve  is  to  teach  the  soldier 
student,  or  prospective  officer,  how  to  write  the  correspondence,  orders, 
messages,  and  reports  which  will  be  required  of  him,  and  which  he  will  be 
called  upon  to  understand  even  if  he  does  not  write  them.  The  book  gives 
instructions,  models,  and  exercises  which  cover  those  parts  of  paperwork 
which  require  composition.  Throughout  the  chapters  emphasis  is  laid 
on  the  essential  features  of  military  language,  on  clearness,  brevity,  and 
precision.  The  la^t  chapter  contains  many  famous  orders  which  illustrate 
those  qualities  of  a  leader's  style  which  make  for  the  upbuilding  of  morale. 

For  many  of  the  forms  used  to  illustrate  operation  orders  the  authors 
express  their  cordial  thanks  to  members  of  the  French  Military  Mission,  and 
particularly  to  Captain  Andre  Morize  and  Lieutenant  R.  Coube.  Certain 
forms  used  in  recent  training  were  supplied  by  the  courtesy  of  General  M.  B. 
Stewart  and  Colonel  Edward  Croft.  The  field  messages,  reports,  and  diary 
are  censored  documents  from  an  American  Machine  Gun  Company,  written 
during  the  third  German  offensive  this  spring.  For  permission  to  use  them, 
the  authors  are  indebted  to  Major  Herbert  C.  Earnshaw,  now  Commanding 
Officer  of  the  Columbia  Unit,  S.  A.  T.  C. 

Harvard  University, 
12  October,  1918. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  The  Principles  of  Military  English  ....         1 

II  Official  Correspondence        .         .         .         .         .         .         .        8 

III  Soldiers'  Letters  Home 22 

IV  Administrative  Orders  and  Memoranda      .         .         .         .32 
V  Field  Orders 42 

VI  Operation  Orders   .         . 47 

VII  Field  Messages .67 

VIII  Reports 79 

IX  Diaries 92 

X  Famous  Orders  and  Examples  of  Martial  Eloquence      .      97 

List  of  Abbreviations .113 


VI 


MILITARY  ENGLISH 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  PRINCn>LES   OF  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

1.  Three  Principles.  —  A  British  colonel  lecturing  to  his  oflBcers 
on  the  subject  of  field  messages  cautioned  them  to  avoid  two  words, 
the  words  "  if  "  and  *'  not."  An  American  major  added  to  these 
words  a  third  which  is  almost  equally  objectionable,  the  word  "  and." 
Now,  the  three  principles  of  military  English  are  all  illustrated  in 
this  advice  to  avoid  the  words  "  if,"  '*  not,"  "  and." 

2.  Precision.  —  The  first  of  these  principles  is  precision,  kjxy 
message  must  give  its  information,  and  any  order  must  give  its  com- 
mand, so  precisely  that  the  reader  of  it  will  be  certain  to  understand. 
The  word  "  if  "  sets  him  guessing.  "  If  the  enemy  attempts  a 
raid  .  .  .  "  is  incomplete  unless  instructions  are  given  what  to  do 
in  every  other  conceivable  situation. 

3.  Clearness.  —  The  second  of  these  principles  is  clearness. 
More  than  anywhere  else  this  fundamental  principle  of  all  writing 
is  essential  in  military  writing.  As  an  officer  or  non-commissioned 
officer,  you  will  be  in  charge  of  men  who  have  only  an  elementary 
education,  men  who  in  a  great  many  instances  are  of  foreign  birth 
and  still  speak  habitually  a  foreign  language.  They  will  know  only 
the  most  ordinary  words  and  will  understand  only  the  simplest  sen- 
tences. The  word  "  not,"  which  changes  completely  the  meaning 
of  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  very  often  confuses  them.  It  may  not 
be  written  clearly.     In  the  roar  of  artillery  and  excitement  of  action 

B  1 


2  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

the  reader,  hastily  guanoing  f,.t  a  message,  may  wholly  fail  to  see  it, 
and  may  be  led  to  do  the  opposite  of  what  his  commander  ordered. 

4.  Brevity.  —  The  third  of  these  principles  is  brevity.  The  sen- 
tences should  be  brief.  The  paragraphs  should  be  brief.  Time  is 
short  and  brevity  prevents  confusion.  So  completely  has  this  prin- 
ciple of  brevity  become  fixed  in  the  army  that  it  permits  only  one 
short  subject  in  each  paragraph,  no  matter  how  many  paragraphs 
are  thereby  made  necessary.  Do  not  connect  two  clauses  or  sen- 
tences by  the  word  "  and."  By  avoiding  the  word  "  and  "  you  are 
certain  not  to  run  one  thing  into  another,  or  ramble  on  when  your 
first  subject  is  finished. 

5.  The  Habit  of  Accuracy.  —  These  three  principles  depend  on 
the  habit  of  accuracy,  —  accuracy  in  thinking,  accuracy  in  knowing, 
and  accuracy  in  using  language.  A  mistake  in  time  of  action  will 
be  held  by  every  one  to  be  so  criminal  that  there  can  be  no  excuse 
for  it.  Accuracy  is  not  easy  under  the  most  favorable  conditions, 
and  it  is  immensely  more  difficult  in  time  of  danger  and  excitement. 
A  thoroughly  disciplined  soldier  should  be  able,  during  an  enemy 
attack,  to  explain  the  movement  of  "Squads  Right"  without  making 
a  mistake.  A  cadet  can  acquire  such  a  habit  of  instinctive  accuracy 
only  as  he  acquires  the  habit  of  instinctive  obedience,  —  by  frequent 
disciplinary  exercises.  Each  student  writing  a  composition  should 
execute  its  spelling  and  punctuation  and  grammar  accurately.  He 
should  take  no  chance  in  using  words  or  sentence  forms  about  which 
he  feels  uncertain.  The  inexperienced  often  regard  such  accuracy 
as  a  little  and  non-essential  thing.  In  the  same  way  they  do  not 
see  the  importance  of  accuracy  in  the  School  of  the  Soldier.  Such 
accuracy,  however,  is  the  foundation  of  every  other  good  principle. 
It  is  considered  so  fundamental  that  officers  are  likely  to  place  most 
emphasis  upon  it  in  choosing  men  whom  they  consider  worthy  of 
recommendation , 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MILITARY  ENGLISH  3 

6.  Structure  and  Plan.  —  The  structural  principles  of  composi- 
tion —  Unity,  Coherence,  Emphasis  —  apply  with  particular  force 
to  military  documents.  Orders  and  reports  give  definite  informa- 
tion about  one  set  of  facts ;  they  arrange  their  material  in  an  orderly 
way;  and  they  enforce  their  points.  They  are  consequently  based 
upon  plan  so  solidly  that  at  first  sight. the  plan  seems  to  be  annoy- 
ingly  rigid.  It  will  be  seen,  however,  that  this  plan  or  frame  is  a 
substantial  support  to  a  soldier's  writing.  Reliance  upon  it  becomes 
second  nature,  and  he  can  concentrate  his  attention  on  the  facts  to 
be  conveyed.  For  example,  all  orders  concerning  operations  of 
troops  include  the  following  facts,  arranged  in  numbered  paragraphs  : 

1.  Information  about  the  enemy. 

2.  The  intention  of  the  commander  who  gives  the  order  and  the  ends 
which  he  is  aiming  to  accomplish. 

3.  The  objectives  to  be  attained,  and  the  movements  to  be  executed  by 
the  unit  to  whose  leader  the  order  is  given. 

4.  The  place  where  the  commander  can  be  found. 

5.  The  movements  of  the  neighboring  units. 

Messages  during  combat  give  information  often  grouped  under  five 
headings  in  regular  order,  which  may  be  remembered  by  the  formula, 
"  Who,  When,  Where,  How,  What."  ^ 

WHO  refers  to  the  effectives,  the  regimental  numbers,  etc.,  of  the 
enemy. 

WHEN  indicates  the  exact  moment  when  the  observation  reported  was 
made. 

WHERE     indicates  the  place  occupied  by  the  enemy's  troops. 

HOW     refers  to  his  situation  and  movements. 

WHAT     indicates  the  intentions  of  the  officer  sending  the  report. 

Reports  of  campaigns  written  by  commanders-in-chief  are  also  con- 
structed according  to  careful  plans,  though  naturally  in  these  eases 

1  Lt.  Col.  Paul  Azan,  The  War  of  Positions,  Cambridge,  1917,  p.  120. 


4  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

the  plan  depends  on  the  circumstances.  Field  Marshal  Haig  in  his 
long  report  on  the  first  Battle  of  the  Somme  (1916)  begins  by  stating 
the  object  of  the  battle : 

The  object  of  that  offensive  was  threefold : 
(i)  To  relieve  the  pressure  on  Verdun. 

(ii)  To  assist  our  allies  in  the  other  theatres  of  war  by  stopping  any 
further  transfer  of  German  troops  from  the  western  front. 

(iii)  To  wear  down  the  strength  of  the  forces  opposed  to  us. 

He  then  proceeds  to  show  how  the  operations  from  July  1  to  Novem- 
ber 15  (themselves  divided  into  three  phases)  brought  about  these 
objects,  and  then  sums  up  as  follows  : 

The  three  main  objects  with  which  we  had  commenced  our  offensive  in 
July  had  already  been  achieved  at  the  date  when  this  account  closes.  .  .  . 

Verdun  had  been  relieved,  the  main  German  forces  had  been  held  on 
the  western  front,  and  the  enemy's  strength  had  been  very  considerably 
worn  down. 

Any  one  of  these  three  results  is  in  itself  sufficient  to  justify  the  Somme 
battle.i 

This  is  a  beautiful  example  of  the  architecture  of  writing. 

7.  Paragraphs.  —  In  military  documents,  more  than  in  other 
kinds  of  writing,  paragraphs  should  be  unified,  coherent,  and  em- 
phatic. Remember  that  orders  and  messages  have  to  be  read  in 
haste,  often  in  an  uncomfortable  position  or  when  moving,  very 
frequently  in  poor  light,  in  noise,  in  danger,  and  in  great  pain.  Under 
these  conditions  the  brain  is  baffled  by  ambiguity  and  is  liable  to  lose 
sight  of  the  full  importance  of  an  item  unless  the  importance  is  brought 
home.  If  ideas  which  belong  together  are  widely  separated,  the 
tired  brain  lacks  the  power  to  rearrange  and  reunite  them.     Make 

1  The  complete  despatch  (23  Dec,  1916)  is  printed  in  The  New  York  Times  Current 
Historrj,  Vol.  V,  No.  6. 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MILITARY  ENGLISH  5 

sure,  then,  that  the  subject  of  a  paragraph  stands  out  clearly  in  the 
first  words.  When  you  begin  a  paragraph,  say  to  yourself  and  your 
prosj>ective  reader,  "  Let's  get  a  clear  idea  of  what  we're  talking 
about  " ;  and  when  you  end,  *'  Let's  leave  this  paragraph  with  a 
clear  idea  of  what  we  are  to  do." 

Brevity  prevents  miscellaneousness  and  rambling,  and  insures 
emphasis.  In  longer  reports,  paragraphs  seldom  run  to  more  than 
five  or  six  sentences,  and  are  usually  shorter.  Each  step  has  a  unity 
of  its  own,  and  the  natural  coherence  of  the  facts  themselves  is  so 
close  that  the  reader  cannot  fail  to  see  the  connection.  In  shorter 
documents,  such  as  orders  and  field  messages,  the  paragraphs  fre- 
quently consist  of  only  one  sentence.     See  pp.  38,  44,  60,  73. 

8.  Sentences.  —  A  soldier's  sentences  should  be  as  neat  and  trim 
as  his  uniform.  They  should  be  written  with  strict  attention  to 
unity,  coherence,  and  emphasis.  Each  sentence  should  be  the 
shortest  distance  possible  between  periods.  Once  the  soldier  forms 
the  habit  of  expressing  himself  in  compact  units,  he  will  abhor  long, 
stringy,  shapeless  sentences.  As  a  working  rule,  compound  sen- 
tences with  *'  and  "  should  be  split  into  simple  sentences.  There 
are,  to  be  sure,  some  famous  military  utterances  which  are  compound 
in  form,  as  Cromwell's  **  Put  your  trust  in  God  and  keep  your  powder 
dry !  "  and  Perry's  '*  We  have  met  the  enemy  and  they  are  ours." 
But  the  very  life  of  these  sentences  depends  on  the  fact  that  two 
dissimilar  ideas  are  suddenly  thrown  together  in  a  new^  union  which 
ignites  an  electric  spark.  Furthermore,  these  are  isolated  expres- 
sions and  not  parts  of  larger  units. 

Clearness  demands  that  the  order  of  words  in  a  sentence  should 
make  the  meaning  unmistakable.  Swift's  dictum  "  proper  words 
in  proper  places  "  has  special  significance  in  military  writing.  Make 
sure  that  modifiers  —  whether  words,  phrases,  or  clauses  —  are  in 
proper  places.     One  of  the  most  dangerous  errors  is  the  **  dangling 


6.  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

participle  "  —  the  participle  that  does  not  modify  the  subject  of  the 
main  clause.     For  instance  : 

Attacking  a  section  of  our  advanced  trench  after  a  heavy  barrage,  we 
repulsed  the  enemy. 

Here  "  attacking  "  really  modifies  "  the  enemy,"  not  "we."  If  a 
writer  begins  with  a  participle,  he  must  keep  looking  at  the  subject- 
matter  from  the  point  of  view  indicated  by  the  participle.  This 
sentence  should  have  run  : 

Attacking  a  section  of  our  advanced  trench  after  a  heavy  barrage,  the 
enemy  was  repulsed. 

In  case  there  are  two  or  more  ideas  of  parallel  value,  they  should 
be  cast  in  parallel  constructions.  The  parallelism  in  form  always 
keeps  the  ideas  more  firmly  in  hand. 

Not  parallel : .  Speed  is  necessary  in  order  to  insure  the  retention  of  the 
new  position  and  the  victorious  troops  will  also  be  saved  from  needless  losses. 

Parallel :  Speed  is  necessary  in  order  to  insure  the  retention  of  the  new 
position,  and  to  save  the  victorious  troops  from  needless  losses. 

9.  Words.  —  The  words  used  in  military  communications  must 
be  exact  and  clear.  No  vague  expressions  are  tolerated..  Indefinite 
words  and  phrases  to  be  avoided  are  : 


to  the  right 

beliind 

daybreak 

to  the  left 

this  side 

as  far  as  possible 

to  the  front 

that  side 

as  well  as  you  can 

to  the  rear 

beyond 

try  to  hold 

in  front  of 

night  time 

attempt  to  capture 

Refer  to  the  points  of  the  compass,  '*  north,  east,  south,  west,"  in- 
stead of  using  phrases  like  "  to  the  right,"  "  to  the  left,"  "  to  the 
rear."  The  terms  "right"  and  "left,"  however,  may  be  applied 
to  individuals  or  bodies  of  men,  or  to  the  banks  of  a  stream ;    in  the 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  MILITARY  ENGLISH  7 

latter  case  the  observer  is  supposed  to  be  facing  downstream.  The 
terms  "  right  flank  "  and  "  left  flank  "  may  be  used,  for  they  are 
fixed  designations.  They  apply  to  the  right  or  left  of  a  command 
when  facing  the  enemy  and  do  not  change  when  the  command  is  re- 
treating. Instead  of  saying  *'  morning  "  or  "  night,"  give  the  hour 
and  minutes.  The  French  number  the  hours  from  1  to  24,  and  all 
timetables  are  arranged  on  this  system.  The  objection  to  phrases 
like  "  try  to  hold  "  is  that  they  tend  to  divide  responsibility  between 
the  commander  and  his  subordinates. 

10.  Proper  Names.  —  The  names  of  persons  and  places  must 
always  be  clearly  understood.  To  minimize  the  possibility  of  error, 
geographical  names  are  written  or  printed  in  ROMAN  CAPITALS. 
When  writing  orders  by  hand,  you  should  print  out  these  names  in 
capital  letters,  for  your  handwriting  may  prove  to  be  illegible.  If 
the  pronunciation  of  a  prop>er  name  does  not  conform  to  the  spelling, 
give  the  phonetic  spelling  of  the  local  pronunciation  in  parentheses 
immediately  after  the  name,  thus :  ST.  QUENTIN  (San  Kontan), 
OISE  (Waz),  BAILLEUL  (Bayul').  When  two  or  more  places  on  the 
map  have  the  same  name,  they  are  distinguished  by  reference  to 
other  points.  A  road  is  designated  by  connecting  two  or  more  names 
of  places  on  the  road  with  dashes,  thus :  the  ROYE-PERONNE- 
CAMBRAI  road. 

11.  Aim  of  the  Book.  —  In  the  following  chapters  of  this  book 
the  application  of  the  principles  of  precision,  clearness,  and  brevity 
will  be  shown  in  the  forms  of  writing  now  usually  in  the  care  of  a 
platoon  leader,  especially  in  military  correspondence,  orders,  field 
messages,  and  reports. 


CHAPTER  II 
OFFICIAL   CORRESPONDENCE 

12.  Military  Letters.  —  The  new  soldier,  and  sometimes  the  new 
officer  in  these  days  of  speedy  promotion,  finds  himself  at  a  loss  when 
confronted  with  the  problem  of  composing  a  military  letter.  His 
ignorance  of  the  proper  form  may  easily  betray  him  and  forfeit  the 
attention  and  esteem  which  correct  form  almost  invariably  secures. 
He  cannot  rely  upon  receiving  this  instruction  in  detail  and  in  clear 
arrangement  during  the  early  course  of  his  military  training :  the 
exigencies  of  time  force  concentration  on  drill  and  exercise.  To 
learn  in  time  he  must  learn  for  himself  and  at  once.  No  attempt  is 
made  here  to  treat  all  the  forms  and  occasions  of  correspondence : 
these  may  be  found  in  : 

Army  Regulations,  Article  LX,  §§  775-790. 

Moss's  Army  Paperwork,  Chapter  II,  pp.  38-110. 

Waldron's  Company  Administration,  Chapter  XIV,  pp.  102-104. 

Correspondence  Model,  G.  0.  23,  1912. 

The  explanations  which  follow  will  suffice  for  most  of  the  needs  of  the 
great  masses  of  soldiers  and  officers.  They  will  be  mastered  most 
easily  by  executing  the  exercises  between  two  readings  of  the  text. 

13.  Spacing  of  the  Letter.  —  A  letter  of  one  page  —  most  letters 
should  be  one  short  page  in  length  —  is  divided  into  three  parts. ^ 
The  upper  third  of  the  sheet  will  contain  nothing  but  the  formal 
letter  heading  presently  to  be  described.     The  middle  third  should 

1  When  foolscap  is  used,  it  is  spaced  in  four  parts,  for  three  fohls,  and  the  heading 
occupies  only  the  topmost  fourth. 

8 


OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCE  9 

be  sufficient  space  for  the  entire  contents  of  the  letter,  which  ought 
usually  to  be  very  brief.  Each  paragraph  must  be  numbered ;  the 
numbering  must  be  consecutive  (that  is,  no  number  may  be  skipped) ; 
and  a  blank  line  must  be  left  between  paragraphs.  Where  a  para- 
graph contains  several  minor  items,  these  will  be  separated  into  sub- 
paragraphs with  the  consecutive  lettering —  (a),  (6),  (c),  etc.  Such 
sub-paragraphs  are  set  in  further  than  the  lines  above  so  as  to  make 
an  extra  margin  of  about  one-half  inch  within  the  paragraph.  The 
left  margin  of  the  whole  letter  will  be  about  one  inch,  and  the  right 
margin  should  be  very  nearly  of  the  same  width.  The  lower  third 
of  the  sheet  will  usually  contain  the  signature  and  leave  sufficient 
blank  space  for  indorsements  where  there  is  occasion  for  not  more 
than  two  or  three.  In  case  the  letter  is  very  short,  however,  the 
signature  follows  the  contents  immediately,  leaving  no  room  for 
insertions,  which  might  be  made  subsequently  and  perhaps  by  an- 
other person.  Only  one  side  of  the  paper  is  used.  The  number  of 
the  page,  where  more  than  one  is  used,  is  placed  about  one-half  inch 
from  the  bottom  and  centred. 

14.  The  Heading.  —  The  letter  heading,  which  fills  the  upper 
third  of  the  first  page,  has  a  form  very  precisely  defined.  It  con- 
sists of  the  place  and  date  of  writing,  the  person  or  office  writing, 
the  person  or  office  written  to  (with  the  proper  address),  and  the 
subject  of  the  letter.  Where  the  letter  forms  part  of  an  office  file, 
it  has  also  a  file  number.  All  these  items,  and  no  others,  must  be 
written  in  a  correct  heading. 

15.  The  place  of  writing  occupies  the  first  and  second  lines, 
usually  centred  at  the  top,  but  permissible  in  the  upp>er  right-hand 
corner.  The  first  line  consists  of  the  name  of  the  organization,  as 
"Co.  A,  Dartmouth  Unit,  S.  A.  T.  C.,''  or  *'Hq.,  Princeton  Unit, 
S.  A.  T.  C."  It  should  be  noted  that  smaller  organizations  than 
regiments  do  not  have  headquarters  (Hq.)  except  in  the  case  of  bat- 


10  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

talions  detached  from  the  larger  bodies  of  which  they  form  part.  A 
detachment  from  any  unit  will  use  as  letter  heading  the  abbreviation 
*'  Det.,"  as  "  Det.  Co.  A,"  where  a  part  of  Co.  A  has  for  some  purpose 
been  separated  for  special  duty  from  the  rest  of  the  company.  The 
second  line  —  or,  if  necessary,  the  second  and  third  lines  —  contains 
the  ordinary  post-office  address  written  as  in  civilian  correspondence. 

16.  The  date  of  writing  does  not  differ  in  form  from  the  dating 
in  civilian  letters.  It  is  sometimes  centred  directly  under  the  place 
of  writing,  but  more  usually  and  more  correctly  is  written  to  the 
right  and  one  line  below.  The  name  of  the  month  is  written  and 
precedes  the  day  of  the  month.  It  is  not  good  usage  to  abbreviate 
the  year.     Write  1918  or  191D  (not  '18  or  '19). 

A  model  letter  heading  follows  : 

Hq.  1st  Training  Regiment,  S.  A.  T.  C. 
Plattsburg  Barracks 

File  No.  38.  Plattsburg,  N.  Y. 

Sept.  12,  1918. 
From :      Commanding  Officer,  S.  A.  T.  C.  Camp. 
To :  The  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army,  Wash.,  D.  C. 

Subject :  Recommendations  for  Commissions  in  Artillery. 

The  words  '*From,"  "To,"  and  "  Subject "  invariably  form  part 
of  the  heading  of  a  military  letter.  They  begin  with  capitals  and 
are  followed  each  by  a  colon.  They  are  placed  vertically  in  the  order 
here  given,  and  have  a  blank  line  below  each.  Usually  they  are 
printed  with  the  letterhead  on  office  stationery  (^.  i?.,  §  512). 

17.  The  person  or  office  writing  is  indicated  .after  the  word 
*'  From."  When  the  letter  concerns  a  person,  as  in  a  report  for  duty 
or  a  request  for  transfer  or  quarters  or  furlough,  the  person's  name 
will  be  used,  as  "  Captain  D.  J.  Hollister,  Co.  K,  32d  Infantry,"  or 
*'  Corporal  F.  B.  Jones,  Co.  C,  21st  Artillery."  On  the  other  hand, 
whenever  the  letter  concerns  official  business  of  a  unit  over  which 


OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCE  11 

the  writer  exercises  control,  the  writer  will  use  not  his  personal  name, 
but  the  name  of  the  office  he  holds.  He  will  write  "  Commanding 
Officer,  Co.  K,  32d  Infantry."  The  same  usage  is  followed  in  writ- 
ing checks  or  money  orders.  In  this  way  transfers  of  personnel, 
casualties,  or  temporary  absence  do  not  disturb  the  routine  of  official 
business,  which  passes  through  the  office  or  orderly  room  regardless 
of  the  individual  who  serves  as  a  medium  of  communication. 

18.  The  person  or  office  addressed  is  indicated  after  the  word 
*'  To."  With  regard  to  the  use  of  the  individual's  name  or  the 
naine  of  his  office,  the  same  usage  prevails  as  in  the  case  of  the 
person  or  office  writing.  If  the  letter  concerns  the  persons  addressed, 
as  in  a  rebuke  for  delay  in  transmitting  a  report,  use  his  personal 
name ;  if  it  concerns  the  organization  over  which  he  exercises  control, 
address  him  by  the  name  of  his  office.  This  usage  applies  equally  to 
addresses  on  envelopes.  On  the  same  line,  and  if  necessary  running 
over  on  the  blank  line  below,  should  be  placed  briefly  but  clearly  the 
post-office  address  of  the  person  or  office  you  are  writing  to.  Letters 
which  require  many  indorsements  pass  from  office  to  office,  with 
consequent  changes  of  envelope.  The  envelope  address  is  therefore 
insufficient.  Where  a  letter  is  not  intended  to  go  directly  to  the  person 
addressed,  place  below  the  designation  of  the  officer  addressed  the  paren- 
thesis '*  (Through  military  channels)." 

19.  The  subject-matter  of  the  letter  is  indicated  after  the  word 
**  Subject."  This  part  of  the  heading  must  be  condensed  into  a  very 
few  words,  not  more  than  five  or  six  if  possible.  A  single  word  or  a 
phrase  of  two  or  three  words  should  be  sought.  In  a  large  office  this 
indication  enables  the  person  who  opens  the  mail  to  refer  a  letter  to 
the  individual  who  as  a  matter  of  routine  attends  to  any  given  type 
of  communication.  In  any  case  it  enables  the  reader  at  once  to  class 
the  letter  with  reference  to  (1)  the  necessity  of  immediate  action, 
(2)  its  connection  with  past  communications. 


n  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

As  an  exercise  in  composition  this  selection  of  the  heading  re- 
sembles choosing  a  title.  Every  military  letter  is  required  to  consist 
of  one  subject  and  of  one  subject  only.  The  ease  or  difficulty  of 
finding  a  name  for  the  subject-matter  of  a  letter  usually  proves  or 
disproves  the  unity  of  its  contents.  This  principle  of  unity,  im- 
portant in  all  forms  of  composition,  is  here  of  the  utmost  importance. 
Army  business,  as  well  as  troops,  moves  in  units.  Most  often  when 
units  are  mingled  in  a  single  letter,  they  pertain  to  the  work  of  dif- 
ferent persons;  one  of  them  consequently  goes  astray  and  is  not 
attended  to.  The  teacher  of  composition  should,  therefore,  re- 
peatedly emphasize  the  importance  of  unity  and  secure  it  in  his 
pupil's  composition  by  frequent  exercises,  particularly  exercises  of 
condensation  (prScis  writing)  and  the  separation  of  confused  ma- 
terial into  logical  parts. 

20.  The  file  number  will  be  used  in  orderly  rooms  and  offices, 
where  records  or  files  of  correspondence  are  invariably  maintained 
(see  Waldron's  Company  Administration,  Chapter  XIV,  p.  102).  It 
is  placed  in  the  heading  at  the  upper  left-hand  corner  as  indicated 
in  the  model  on  page  20.  The  numbering  of  each  file  must  be  con- 
secutive. It  does  not  include  letters  of  a  personal  nature,  but  solely 
those  affecting  the  organization  as  a  unit.  That  is  to  say,  a  personal 
letter  written  by  the  captain  of  Co.  K  does  not  form  part  of  the  Co.  K 
file,  though  it  may  form  part  of  the  Adjutant  General's  files.  The 
numbering  of  a  file  begins  with  the  beginning  of  an  organization. 
A  new  series  of  numbers  begins  with  each  calendar  year. 

21.  Contents  of  a  Letter.  —  The  general  appearance  of  the  con- 
tents of  a  letter  has  been  described  in  §  13.  Also,  the  requirement 
that  *'  an  official  letter  should  refer  to  one  subject  only  "  {A.  R., 
§  775)  has  been  explained  in  §  19.  The  writer  must  be  cautioned 
at  once  that  the  salutation  and  the  complimentary  close  of  civilian 
correspondence  are  never  used.     "  Dear  Sir,"  "  My  dear  Colonel," 


OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCE  13 

*'  Very  truly  yours,"  **  Respectfully  yours  "  will  occur  only  in  letters 
interchanged  with  civilians.  Ceremonial  forms  have  no  place  in 
military  correspondence. 

In  civil  life  letters  are  written  without  need  of  any  permission 
from  a  superior.  It  is  not  so  in  the  army.  Every  official  letter  is 
written  under  and  according  to  the  order  or  regulation  by  which 
occasion  or  permission  is  afforded  the  writer.  And  this  order  or 
regulation  should  be  stated  in  the  first  paragraph  of  the  letter.  Thus 
a  subordinate  addressing  his  suj>erior  will  begin  according  to  such 
forms. as  follow: 

1.   In  compliance  with  S.  O.  No.  — ,  Hq.  32d  Regt^  Camp ,  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  Nov.  2,  1918,  I  submit  herein  .... 
1.    Under  the  provisions  of  A.  R.,  §  —  .  .  .  . 
1.   According  to  the  verbal  instructions  of  Lieut.  Col 

The  use  of  abbreviations  and  hyphens,  as  in  the  preceding  ex- 
amples, is  not  according  to  the  best  usage,  that  of  the  Adjutant 
General's  Department,  but  is  very  common.  A  table  of  ordinary 
abbreviations  will  be  found  on  page  113. 

22.  Divisions  of  the  Subject. — A  letter  on  one  subject  may 
be  divisible  into  several  equal  parts.  Let  us  suppose  that  a  number 
of  men  in  an  S.  A.  T.  C.  unit  are  to  be  taken  into  a  government 
cantonment  for  a  short  j>eriod  of  special  training  in  the  division 
schools,  the  purpose  being  that  they  may  transmit  this  instruction 
throughout  the  S.  A.  T.  C.  unit.  A  letter  concerning  this  oppor- 
tunity might  well  refer  to  the  time  and  place  of  arrival,  the  duration 
of  their  stay,  the  regulations  governing  it,  the  cost  of  maintenance, 
and  other  items.  Each  item  should  be  clearly  placed  in  its  ap- 
propriate paragraph  so  that  it  forms  a  definite  unit,  and  these  units 
stand  in  logical  arrangement.  The  lessons  in  planning  as  given  in 
usual  courses  in  composition  are  for  this  purpose  especially  valuable. 


14  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

23.  The  general  style  of  military  letters  differs  markedly  from 
the  styles  used  in  social  and  business  correspondence.  It  is  business- 
like in  its  directness  and  brevity.  It  is  courteous  in  the  avoidance 
of  unnecessary  severity.  The  writer  will  not  "  call  your  attention 
to  "  unless  he  wishes  to  rebuke  you ;  he  will  '*  invite  your  attention." 
Similarly,  such  words  as  "  request,"  or  "  suggest,"  are  to  be  in- 
terpreted as  definite  orders  politely  expressed.  But  military  corre- 
spondence should  be  devoid  of  all  ingratiating  elements  or  suavity. 
Flattery  —  indeed,  any  compliments  of  a  personal  nature  —  are  to  be 
scrupulously  avoided.  Self-interest  and  playing  upon  the  personal 
interests  of  others  must  be  suppressed.  Therefore,  a  military  letter 
will  come  directly  to  the  point,  stating  its  purpose  clearly. 

Consider  the  following  example  : 

From :      Private  J.  R.  Smith,  Co.  G,  Yale  Unit,  S.  A.  T.  C. 

To :  Commanding  Officer. 

Subject :  Personal  Transfer  to  Another  Company. 

1.  I  request  that  I  be  transferred  from  Co.  G  to  Co.  D. 

2.  I  wish  to  be  placed  with  my  friends. 

Here  neither  the  brevity  nor  the  directness  is  at  fault.  In  these 
respects  the  letter  is  exemplary.  The  request,  however,  will  probably 
not  be  granted  since  it  rests  on  improper  grounds.  The  American 
Army  is  a  unit,  and  all  of  its  members  friends,  knowing  no  sectional 
divisions.  The  building  up  of  esprit  and  morale  demands  such  an 
impersonal  stand.  Were  Private  Smith's  application  based  on  the 
fact  that  he  is  an  experienced  company  clerk,  that  Co.  D.  has  none, 
and  Co.  G.  has  two,  the  transfer  he  requests,  if  the  facts  were  sub- 
stantiated, would  probably  be  granted. 

24.  Signature.  —  The  signature  is  placed  immediately  below  the 
last  line  of  subject-matter  and  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  page.  It 
varies  according  to  the  nature  of  the  heading.     Official  communica- 


OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCE  15 

tions  will  be  signed  with  the  pen  and  not  by  facsimile.  In  case  the 
rank  and  military  unit  of  the  writer  appvear  in  the  heading,  his  signa- 
ture will  consist  simply  of  his  name.  Thus,  a  letter  headed  '*  From : 
Corporal  R.  H.  Flower,  Co.  F,  32d  Inf."  will  be  signed  simply  "R.  H. 
Flower."  It  is  a  rule,  therefore,  that  in  personal  letters  the  rank  and 
regiment  (or  corps)  should  not  be  added  to  an  officer's  or  soldier's 
signature  unless  he  needs  to  establish  his  identity.  When  so  added, 
it  should  be  placed  in  parenthesis. 

In  official  letters,  however,  the  name  of  the  office  does  not  dis- 
close necessarily  the  rank  of  an  individual.  The  "  Commanding 
Officer,  Co.  K,"  may  be  a  captain  or  a  lieutenant.  Though  on  duty 
with  an  infantry  training  unit,  he  may  be  commissioned  in  the  cavalry. 
His  signature  will  then  include,  immediately  below  his  name,  both 
his  rank  and  branch  of  the  service,  as  **  1st  Lt.,  Art."  or  **  Lt.  Col., 
Ret."  Sometimes  there  will  appear,  on  a  third  hne  immediately 
below,  the  designation  of  a  staff  office,  as  "  Adjutant  "  or  "  Personnel 
Officer."  A  signature  for  a  supyerior  officer  in  his  absence  indicates 
that  fact,  as  "  Arthur  E.  Green,  Col.,  Gen.  Staff,  in  absence  of  the 
Division  Commander." 

25.  Folding  the  Letter.  —  Letter  paper  is  invariably  folded  in 
three  equal  folds.  The  top  crease  is  made  with  the  writing  outward. 
The  lower  crease  is  made  with  the  writing  inward.  Thus  the  heading 
(called  brief)  is  exposed  to  view,  and  on  the  other  side  the  official 
mark  or  office  stamp  should  be  seen.  [At  present,  the  stamp  is  by 
custom  usually  imprinted  on  the  lower  left  front  of  the  last  page,  but 
is  correctly  placed  on  the  lower  back  of  the  first.]  When  the  letter 
consists  of  more  than  one  page,  the  second  and  subsequent  pages  are 
folded  with  the  first,  but  the  lowest  fold  is  then  tucked  into  the  top 
crease.  This  system  of  folding  makes  visible  the  lower  back  of  the 
first  page.  Letters  on  foolscap  are  folded  in  four  and  show  either 
the  brief  or  the  office  mark  according  to  the  special  purpose  in  view. 


16  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

26.  Enclosures.  —  The  number  of  enclosures,  where  there  are 
any,  is  stated  at  the  lower  left-hand  corner,  as  "2  Ends.," 
"  5  Ends." 

27.  Envelopes.  —  Addresses  on  envelopes  follow,  as  regards  their 
contents,  the  usage  of  the  letter  heading.  The  official  envelope, 
which  must  be  used  only  for  government  business,  indicates  in  the 
upper  left  corner  a  space  for  the  name  and  address  of  the  sender  which 
should  correspond  to  the  heading  "  From  "  within,  —  followed  on  a 
line  or  lines  below  with  the  place  of  writing  (or  address  to  which  the 
communication  should  be  returned).  The  address  to  which  the 
letter  is  to  be  sent  corresponds  to  the  heading  "  To  "  within.  Custom 
now  favors  beginning  the  lines  of  this  address  so  that  they  form  a 
vertical  column  on  the  left. 

The  permanent  address  of  all  officers  and  soldiers  is  ''In  care  of  The 
Adjutant  General  of  the  Army,  War  Department,  Washington,  D.  C." 

A  single  envelope,  sealed,  will  ordinarily  be  used,  except  that 
none  is  required  for  communications  within  the  same  ofiice.  But 
confidential  communications  must  be  enclosed  in  both  an  inner  and 
an  outer  envelope.  The  inner  covering  may  be  either  a  sealed 
wrapper  or  an  envelope  addressed  in  the  usual  way  but  plainly 
marked  "  Confidential."  This  envelope  will  then  be  placed  in 
another  sealed  wrapper  or  envelope  addressed  as  usual.  The 
outer  covering  bears  no  sign  of  the  confidential  nature  of  the 
contents. 

28.  Copies.  —  Copies  should  be  kept  of  all  letters,  telegrams,  or 
other  official  communications.  Three  copies  (original  and  two 
carbons)  will  often  suffice:  a  retain  copy  for  the  writer,  a  retain 
copy  for  the  person  addressed,  and  the  original  to  be  returned 
with  its  indorsement.  In  *  many  cases,  however,  several  offices 
have  to  take  action  on  the  letter,  and  each  office  will  require  a 
retain  copy. 


OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCE  17 

Address  No.  of  Copies 

Company  Commander 3 

Bn.  Commander 4 

Reg't  Commander 4 

Reg't  Commander  (through  Bn.)       ....     5 

29.  Channels  of  Communication.  —  The  written  communications 
of  the  army  are  so  many  that  every  item  should  be  addressed  with 
the  most  scrupulous  care  to  the  proper  j>erson.  Moreover,  in  order 
that  it  shall  be  fully  authorized  and  claim  his  official  consideration, 
it  must  be  so  addressed  as  to  reach  him  in  the  proper  way.  Other- 
wise endless  delays  and  a  great  deal  of  extra  correspondence  may  be 
caused,  and  the  writer  may  ultimately  be  unable  to  secure  any  at- 
tention whatever. 

"  Communications,  whether  from  a  subordinate  to  a  superior, 
or  vice  versa,  will  pass  through  intermediate  commanders."  (A.  R.y 
§  783.)  This  regulation  applies  equally  to  verbal  and  written  com- 
munications. It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  platoon  is 
a  tactical  unit,  and  not  an  administrative  unit.  Letters  within  a 
regiment  will  almost  invariably  be  administrative  and  not  tactical. 

Correspondence  relating  to  personnel,  discipline,  equipment,  or 
instruction  of  a  company  (or  battery  or  troop)  will  pass  through  the 
battalion  (or  squadron)  commander.  No  official  record  is  kept,  and 
in  practice  such  papers  are  forwarded  without  other  indorsement 
than  the  battalion  commander's  initials  with  or  without  the  word 
'*  Approved  "  (or  '*  Appd.").  Comments  may  be  made  verbally 
or  on  an  attached  pap)er.     {A.  R.,  §  245  and  Changes  No.  23.) 

The  writer  of  a  letter  when  he  is  not  replying  to  a  communication 
or  carrying  out  instructions  —  in  either  of  which  cases  his  course 
has  been  indicated  —  will  ordinarily  address  his  immediate  com- 
mander. Thus,  the  soldier  will  usually  address  the  "  Commanding 
Officer  "  of  his  company,  and  the  officer  will  usually  address  the 
c 


18  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

"  Commanding  Officer  "  of  his  regiment.  In  other  cases  he  will 
usually  address  "  The  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army."  Such  com- 
munications may,  of  course,  never  reach  the  officer  to  whom  they  are 
addressed.  The  first  sergeants  in  companies  and  the  adjutants  in 
regiments  are  often  empowered  to  dispose  of  the  usual  routine  cases 
after  methods  of  procedure  have  been  laid  down  by  their  commanding 
officers.  The  Adjutant  General  probably  could  not  read  in  a  life- 
time his  correspondence  of  one  month. 

30.  Indorsements.  —  Every  officer  through  whom  as  a  channel 
a  communication  passes  is  required  to  express  his  opinion  of  the 
subject-matter  {A.  R.,  §  786),  unless  the  subject  is  such  that  he  can 
have  no  control.  If  the  writer  is  an  enlisted  man,  the  officer  im- 
mediately in  charge  of  him  should  verify  his  statements  and  in  the 
indorsement  state  that  he  has  done  so.  If  interlineations  are  made, 
they  must  be  initialed  by  the  person  who  makes  them. 

The  indorsement  has  a  form  quite  as  definitely  prescribed  as  that 
of  the  letter.     Observe  the  following  indorsement : 

Second  Indorsement 

Co.  K,  32d  Inf.  Piatt.  Bks.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  14, 1918.  To  the  Commanding  Officer, 
Piatt.  Bks. 
1.    Forwarded  with  approval. 

(1  End.  added)  J.  G.  Hollister, 

3  Ends.  Captain,  32d  Infantry. 

Indorsements  have  the  same  width  as  the  lines  of  the  letter.  The 
first  begins  one-half  inch  below  the  rank  in  the  signature  of  the  writer 
of  the  letter.  About  one-half  inch  is  left  between  indorsements.  The 
number  of  the  indorsement,  place,  date,  and  person  addressed  will 
be  written.  Indorsements  in  the  nature  of  routine  are  signed  by 
initials  only.  The  total  number  of  enclosures  will  be  indicated  in 
each  indorsement,  and  in  parenthesis  any  that  have  been  added  or 


OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCE  19 

withdrawn  by  the  officer  indorsing.  The  space  left  vacant  below 
each  indorsement  is  used  to  indicate  receipt,  as  "  Rec'd  [or  Rec'd 
back]  Northeastern  Dept.,  Nov.  10,  1918." 

31.  Model  Letters.  —  The  following  reduced  models  of  letters 
are  spaced  according  to  the  requirements  stated  on  page  8.  The 
broken  lines  must  not  be  made  on  a  letter;  they  indicate  here  the 
places  where  such  a  letter  should  be  folded.  (See  page  15.)  It  must 
not  be  supposed  that  letters  are  confined  to  one  or  two  paragraphs ; 
they  often  contain  five  or  more;  and  the  paragraphs  not  infre- 
quently contain  as  many  as  twenty  lines.  Such  letters,  however, 
usually  come  from  above.  Pascal  once  added  apologetically :  "  Ex- 
cuse me  for  writing  a  long  letter ;  I  had  no  time  to  write  a  short 
one."      Be  advised  :    take  time,  write  a  short  one. 

Hq.  Harvard  Unit,  S.  A.  T.  C. 
Cambridge,  Mass. 

October  10,  1918. 
From  :      2d  Lt.  James  W.  Hollis,  Inf. 

To  :  The  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army,  Wash.,  D.  C. 

Subject :  Personal  Report. 

1.   In  compliance  with  S.  O.  32,  Hq.  Plattsburg  Barracks,  Plattsburg, 
N.  Y.,  Oct.  6,  1918,  I  submit  the  following  personal  report : 
(a)  My  full  name  is  James  Warton  Hollis. 
(6)  My  rank  is  Second  Lieutenant  Infantry. 

(c)   The  time  of   my  reporting  for  duty  is    10.30   a.m.  Thursday, 
October  10,  1918. 

James  W.  Hollis 
2dLt.  Inf. 


20  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

32.  Letter  with  Indorsement 
File  No.  4  Company  K,  32d  Infantry, 

Plattsburg  Barracks,  N.  Y., 
August  23,  1918. 
From :      Commanding  Officer,  Co.  K,  32d  Infantry. 
To  :  Commanding  Officer,  32d  Infantry. 

Subject :  Recommendation  of  students  for  commissions. 

1.  In  compliance  with  Memo.  #14  H.  Q.  S.  A.  T.  C.  Camp,  Plattsburg 
Barracks,  N.  Y.,  August  21,  1918, 1  recommend  the  following  named  students 
as  qualified  to  be  commissioned  as  second  lieutenants : 

Sergeants :  James  W.  Barclay,  Horace  C.  Graham,  Sumner  Johnson. 
Corporals  :  Frank  L.  Newcomb,  John  R.  Partridge. 

2.  These  men  were  all  present  throughout  the  camp  held  in  June. 

J.  D.  Hollister, 
Captain,  32d  Infantry. 


First  Indorsement 

Hq.  32d  Inf.,  Piatt.  Bks.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  26,  1918.  — To  C.  O.,  Co.  K,  32d  Inf. 

1.  Returned. 

2.  Recommendations  will  indicate  the  arm  of  the  service  for  which  each 
candidate  is  best  fitted. 

By  order  of  the  Commanding  Officer  : 
J.  E.  Dunton 

Adjutant 

EXERCISES 

1.  A  required  Personal  Report  from  the  student  to  the  Adjutant,  con- 
taining (a)  full  name,  (6)  age  in  years  and  months,  (c)  home  address,  (d)  any 
occupation  in  which  he  has  engaged  productively. 

2.  A  Company  Commander  in  an  S.  A.  T.  C.  unit  is  required  to  submit 
a  list  of  men  whom  he  recommends  for  a  headquarters  company  about  to  be 


OFFICIAL  CORRESPONDENCE 

formed,  with  indication  of  their  special  qualifications.     Writ«  his  communica- 
tion in  reply. 

3.  Corporal  Thomas  H.  Piper  is  S.  O.  L.  While  seeing  his  best  girl 
home,  he  was  delayed  by  a  trolley  breakdown  and  became  A  W  O  L.  His  first 
sergeant  puts  him  on  K.  P.  the  second  time  in  one  week  and  refuses  him 
week-end  leave.  He  asks  to  have  his  Company  Commander  pass  on  this  and 
is  later  told  by  the  first  sergeant  that  the  Company  Commander  approves  of 
the  punishment.  Corporal  Piper  determines  to  push  the  matter  fiu-ther. 
Write  the  correspondence  which  ensues.  Do  not  write  duplicate  copies,  but 
indicate  the  number  as  in  the  case  of  enclosures. 

4.  One  day  2d  Lt.  Push  conceives  the  idea  of  a  local  conference  of 
S.  A.  T.  C.  company  officers.  He  mentions  it  at  mess  to  his  C.  O.,  who 
approves  and  easily  gains  the  approval  of  the  C.  O.'s  of  two  other  S.  A.  T.  C. 
units  who  happen  to  be  messing  with  him.  Write  four  sample  letters  of  the 
correspondence  which  ensues. 

[Examples  of  such  letters  are  : 
Letters  of  invitation  and  reply. 
Letters  ordering  supplies. 
Letters  transmitting  resolutions.] 

5.  A  letter  requesting  a  furlough  with  the  reasons  therefor. 

6.  A  letter  requesting  a  transfer  into  another  branch  of  the  service. 

7.  A  lieutenant  is  required  to  submit  a  schedule  for  the  training  of  a 
company  for  the  ensuing  week. 


CHAPTER  III 
SOLDIERS'   LETTERS  HOME 

33.  A  Writing  Army.  —  The  letters  which  soldiers  write  home 
are  not  like  ordinary  letters ;  they  take  on  the  character  of  the  epoch 
from  which  they  spring.  They  are  precious  souvenirs  of  affection 
to  kindred  and  friends  ;  they  are  missives  of  amity  between  nations ; 
and  they  are  records  for  posterity.  A  striking  fact  in  this  great 
struggle  to  preserve  civilization  is  that  our  army  is  a  reading  and  a 
writing  army.  It  is  by  letters  giving  details  of  what  the  soldier  sees 
and  feels  in  battle,  expressing  his  spirit  and  personality,  sketching 
the  tragedies  and  humors  and  heroisms  of  war  that  the  soul  of  the 
conflict  will  be  revealed  to  the  future. 

34.  Censorship.  —  One  of  the  routine  duties  of  the  platoon 
leader  is  to  censor  the  letters  of  his  men.  The  purpose  of  this  censor- 
ship is  not  only  to  discover  traces  of  disloyalty  —  for  it  is  necessary 
to  take  no  chances  in  battling  for  life  and  liberty  —  but  to  prevent 
thoughtless  statements  escaping  which  might  have  for  the  enemy  a 
significance  which  the  writer  never  dreamed  of.  Careful  regulations 
provide  that  the  soldier  shall  not  indicate  where  he  is  stationed  or  to 
what  organization  he  belongs.  It  is  equally  important  that  he  should 
not  give  the  regiment  or  corps  of  a  German  prisoner.  He  must 
scrupulously  avoid  all  mention  of  unusual  activities  such  as  precede 
an  attack,  for  he  cannot  safely  reckon  on  his  letter  reaching  America 
before  it  is  read  by  the  enemy's  spies.  It  is  best  for  him  to  deal  with 
events  of  several  days  ago  rather  than  of  the  immediate  past.  Ma- 
terial for  letters  is  so  rich  and  varied  in  the  present  war  that  a  soldier 

22 


SOLDIERS'  LETTERS  HOME  23 

has  plenty  to  write  about  without  giving  away  any  mihtary  secrets 
which  might  be  valuable  to  the  enemy.  Personal  news,  the  informa- 
tion that  he  is  well,  and  other  information  that  will  relieve  his  family 
and  friends  of  anxiety  will  naturally  come  first  to  his  mind.  The 
bewildering  new  life  in  the  army,  the  reception  by  our  Allies,  im- 
pressions of  foreign  cities  and  people,  days  and  nights  in  the  trenches, 
modern  warfare,  marches  and  billets,  hand-to-hand  combats,  opinions 
of  the  enemy,  —  here  is  enough  to  keep  the  most  eager  f>en  busy. 

The  platoon  leader  should  not  regard  his  task  as  solely  that  of  an 
expurgator,  for  this  would  tend  to  reduce  the  correspondence  of  his 
command  to  tame,  dispirited  monotony.  He  should  point  out  to 
his  men  ways  in  which  they  can  make  their  letters  more  interesting. 
Let  him  encourage  Private  X  to  write  about  such  and  such  a  story. 
Let  him  incite  them  all  to  write  good  letters  so  that  in  after  years 
they  may  rejoice  in  reading  them  to  their  grandsons  and  live  over 
again  the  great  days  of  their  youth. 

35.  Vividness.  —  A  soldier's  private  letters  should  be  vivid, 
spontaneous,  and  cheerful.  Here  is  the  opportunity  for  that  self- 
expression  which  every  man  feels  the  need  of  when  he  has  been  ex- 
periencing strange  new  adventures  on  land  and  sea.  A  man  must 
spin  a  yarn :  a  letter  is  his  chance,  for  the  fireside  where  the  home 
fires  are  burning  is  thousands  of  miles  away.  Make  the  letter  vivid. 
Develop  a  sense  for  picturesque  details,  and  find  words  which  shall 
make  them  live  before  your  reader's  eye.  Remember,  however,  that 
good  description  is  not  entirely  a  matter  of  sight :  sound,  smell, 
touch,  and  taste  all  play  their  part.  In  this  description  of  a  shell 
bursting  at  night,  written  by  an  oflBcer  in  the  Royal  Engineers,  note 
the  effective  use  of  color,  and  the  variety  of  sounds  : 

Night  —  and  a  working-party  stretching  away  over  a  ploughed  field  are 
digging  a  communication  trench.  The  great  green  flares  lob  up  half  a  mile 
away ;  a  watery  moon  shines  on  the  bleak  scene.     Suddenly  a  noise  like  the 


24  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

tired  sigh  of  some  great  giant,  a  scorching  sheet  of  flame  that  leaps  at  you 
out  of  the  darkness,  searing  your  very  brain,  so  close  does  it  ssem ;  the  ping 
of  death  past  your  head ;  the  clatter  of  shovel  and  pick  next  you  as  a  muttered 
curse  proclaims  a  man  is  hit;  a  voice  from  down  the  line:  "Gawd!  Old 
Ginger's  took  it.  'Old  up,  mate.  Say,  blokes,  Ginger's  done  in  ! "  Aye  — 
it's  worse  at  night.^ 

One  of  the  most  vivid  descriptions  of  flying  occurs  in  a  letter  by 
Victor  Chapman  of  the  Escadrille  Lafayette,  who  was  killed  while 
going  to  the  rescue  of  Luf berry  and  Norman  Prince  : 

Over  the  field  we  soared,  and  due  east  for  B .     Twelve,  sixteen, 

nineteen,  twenty-two,  twenty-four  hundred  metres  —  mounting  well  at  one 
thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty  turns.  The  earth  seemed  hidden  under  a 
fine  web  such  as  the  Lady  of  Shalott  wove ;  soft  purple  in  the  west  changing 
to  shimmering  white  in  the  east.  Under  me  on  the  left,  the  Vosges,  like 
rounded  sand  dunes  cushioned  up  with  velvety  light  and  dark  mosses  (really 
forests).  But  to  the  south,  standing  firmly  above  the  purple  cloth-like  ice- 
bergs shone  the  Alps.  My !  they  looked  steep  and  jagged.  The  sharp  blue 
shadows  on  their  western  slopes  emphasized  the  effect.  One  mighty  group 
standing  aloof  to  the  West  —  Mont  Blanc,  perhaps.  Ah,  there  are  quantities 
of  worm-eaten  fields  —  my  friends,  the  trenches,  —  and  that  town  with  the 

canal  going  through  it  must  be  M .     Right  beside  the  capote  of  my  engine, 

shining  through  the  white  silk  cloth,  a  silver  snake:  the  Rhine!  "What, 
not  over  quarter  to  six,  and  I  left  the  field  at  five !  Thirty-two  hundred 
metres.  Let's  go  north  and  have  a  look  at  the  map.  Boo,  my  feet  are 
getting  cold !" 

While  thus  engaged  "  Trun-un-ng-tss "  —  a  black  puff  of  smoke  ap- 
peared behind  my  tail,  and  I  had  the  impression  of  having  a  piece  of  iron 
hiss  by.  "Must  have  got  my  range,  first  shot !"  I  surmised,  and  making  a 
steep  bank,  piquS'd  heavily.  "There,  I've  lost  them  now!"  The  whole 
art  of  avoiding  shells  is  to  pay  no  attention  till  they  get  your  range,  and  then 
dodge  away,  change  altitude,  and  generally  avoid  going  in  a  straight  line. 

^  "Sapper,"  Men,  Women,  and  Guns,  London,  1916,  p.  22. 


SOLDIERS'  LETTERS  HOME  25 

In  point  of  fact,  I  could  see  bunches  of  exploding  shells  up  over  my  right 
shoulder,  now  a  kilometre  off.^ 

This  passage  is  remarkable  for  its  apj>eal  to  various  senses.  It  il- 
lustrates another  important  factor  in  good  description,  —  the  skilful 
maintenance  of  the  point  of  view.  Chapman  paints  the  earth  as  it 
looks  from  a  great  height  and  never  allows  us  to  forget  that  we  are 
high  in  the  air :  "  the  Vosges,  like  rounded  sand  dunes  " ;  "  worm- 
eaten  fields  —  the  trenches  "  ;    *'  a  silver  snake  :  the  Rhine." 

36.  The  Value  of  Description.  —  Do  not  suppose  that  description 
is  merely  one  of  the  arts  of  peace.  It  is  indeed  bound  up  with  the 
art  of  war.  A  soldier  must  train  his  eye  to  be  keen.  He  must  not 
only  shoot  straight,  but  draw  straight.  He  must  make  accurate 
maps  and  sketches  of  the  terrain.  The  relation  between  drawing 
and  writing  is  very  close.  Eden  Phillpotts,  whose  descriptions  of 
Dartmoor  are  famous,  makes  pencil  sketches  of  the  scenes  of  his 
novels.  '*  The  sketches  are  short-hand  notes,"  he  writes.  "  Thus 
I  teach  myself,  and  by  observing  as  closely  as  is  necessary  to  draw, 
win  a  few  facts  sometimes  worth  using  in  my  own  medium  of  words. 
My  scenery  is  all  painted  in  the  open  air."  The  well-known  com- 
parison of  the  Bay  of  Monterey  to  a  bent  fishing-hook  was  made  by 
a  soldier  —  General  Sherman,  and,  as  Stevenson  says,  *'  shows  the  eye 
of  a  soldier  for  topography."  Practice  in  description  is  one  of  the 
best  ways  by  which  a  soldier  can  develop  keenness  of  sight. 

37.  Narration.  —  Ability  to  picture  things  vividly,  moreover, 
adds  to  the  reality  of  a  narrative,  and  the  vast  majority  of  letters 
are  narratives.  It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  the  essentials  of  good 
narrative  writing  :  (1)  generous  development  of  a  situation,  (2)  prepa- 
ration for  effects  to  come,  or  **  motivation,"  (3)  climax,  (4)  setting, 
(5)  characters,  (6)  dialogue,  and  (7)  style.     Take  this  brief  episode 

1  The  Harvard  Volunteers  in  Europe,  Cambridge,  1916,  p.  232. 


26  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

from  a  letter  of  Trooper  S.  Cargill,  writing  during  the  retreat 
from  Mons : 

I  saw  one  ghastly  affair.  A  German  cavahy  division  was  pursuing  our 
retiring  infantry  when  we  were  let  loose  on  them.  When  they  saw  us  com- 
ing they  turned  and  fled,  at  least  all  but  one,  who  came  rushing  at  us  with 
his  lance  at  the  charge.  I  caught  hold  of  his  horse,  which  was  half  mad 
with  terror,  and  my  chum  was  going  to  run  the  rider  through  when  he  noticed 
the  awful  glaze  in  his  eyes  and  we  saw  that  the  poor  devil  was  dead.^ 

How  swiftly  and  dramatically  he  tells  the  story !  He  prepares  for 
his  effects,  he  stimulates  our  curiosity,  he  puts  in  details  —  few, 
but  each  charged  with  pictorial  power,  —  and  he  brings  us  up  to  a  sharp 
climax.  Here  is  another  incident  skilfully  told,  this  time  by  a  British 
Naval  Lieutenant  who  was  in  the  action  off  Heligoland : 

The  most  romantic,  dramatic,  and  piquant  episode  that  modern  war  can 
ever  show.  The  Defender,  having  sunk  an  enemy,  lowered  a  whaler  to  pick 
up  her  swimming  survivors ;  before  the  whaler  got  back  an  enemy's  cruiser 
came  up  and  chased  the  Defender,  and  thus  she  abandoned  her  whaler. 
Imagine  their  feelings  —  alone  in  an  open  boat  without  food,  25  miles  from 
the  nearest  land,  and  that  land  the  enemy's  fortress,  with  nothing  but  fog 
and  foes  around  them.  Suddenly  a  swirl  alongside  and  up,  if  you  please, 
pops  his  Britannic  Majesty's  submarine  E4,  opens  his  conning  tower,  takes 
them  all  on  board,  shuts  up  again,  dives,  and  brings  them  home  250  miles ! 
Is  not  that  magnificent.^  No  novel  would  dare  face  the  critics  with  an 
episode  like  that  in  it,  except,  perhaps,  Jules  Verne ;  and  all  true !  ^ 

38.  Dialogue.  —  Bits  of  dialogue  make  the  human  voice  ring 
in  our  ears.  Whenever  you  can,  record  striking  remarks  not  only 
because  they  give  flavor  to  your  letters,  but  because  only  the  re- 
corded sayings  will  live  for  the  future.  How  grateful  we  are  to  hear 
the  words  reported  in  these  extracts : 

^  In  the  Firing  Line,  London,  1914,  p.  136. 
2  In  the  Firing  Line,  p.  104. 


SOLDIERS'  LETTERS  HOME  27 

1 

Your  son  was  killed  on  the  morning  of  Sept.  25  while  supporting  an 
attack.  He  was  magnificent.  I  heard  the  men  talking  of  him  among  them- 
selves. They  say  he  was  laughing  and  chatting  all  the  time,  and  did  them 
a  world  of  good.  Then  the  order  came  to  go  to  the  front  line.  His  platoon 
was  the  first  to  move.  "Hooray,  we're  going  up,  lads;  come  along,"  he 
shouted.  He  led  them  all  the  way  and  got  into  the  trench  safely,  but  almost 
immediately  afterward  he  received  a  bullet  in  the  chest. 

He  was  splendid  to  the  last,  and  his  farewell  words  were :  "Well,  cheer-oh, 
lads !"     His  example  has  been  most  inspiring  to  all  of  us. 

2 

We  passed  through  the  remnant  of  a  place  called  Porquericourt.  An  old 
woman  came  to  a  broken  doorway. 

Her  three  daughters  had  been  with  her  at  the  farm  the  night  that  the 
Germans  retired.  They  had  fled  with  her  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  from 
where  they  saw  their  own  home  of  a  lifetime  in  flames.  The  girls  were  19, 
21,  and  24  years  old.  The  Germans  had  found  them  in  Porquericourt  and 
had  taken  them  away.  That  was  eight  days  before.  She  had  heard  noth- 
ing of  them  since.  All  other  young  women  had  likewise  vanished  that  night 
when  the  Germans  went  away. 

She  told  her  story  simply,  in  a  low  unfailing  voice.  But  she  shuddered 
as  she  spoke  of  her  daughters.     I  said  to  her : 

"The  next  day  after  the  Germans  had  gone  how  did  it  seem  to  see  French 
soldiers  appear?" 

She  replied  :  "It  was  such  a  feeling  that  it  is  impossible  to  describe,  with 
an  emotion  of  joy,  monsieur,  that  is  beyond  words." 

I  asked  another  question  : 

"And  how  do  you  feel  now  —  husband,  brother,  sons,  and  daughters  all 
gone  and  you  left  here  alone  ?  " 

I  shall  never  forget  the  sight  of  her  gray  head.  She  looked  up  into  my. 
eyes  and  replied : 

"To-day,  monsieur,  I  am, with  France  —  and  I  have  confidence."  ^ 

1  Philip  Gibbs,  Letter  of  March  27,  1917. 


28  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

39.  Cheerfulness.  —  In  fair  days  and  foul,  be  cheerful.  No 
matter  how  gloomy  or  depressing  the  immediate  situation  may  be, 
smile  in  your  letters.  The  cheerful  soldier  is  the  best  soldier.  General 
Pershing  cables,  "  Send  me  singing  soldiers."  Now  a  chat  with  the 
folks  at  home  will  hearten  a  man  himself  and  it  will  also  hearten 
them.  They  are  thrilled  with  pride  when  they  get  rousing  letters 
from  their  lads  at  the  front  and  redouble  their  efforts  to  buy  Liberty 
Bonds  or  to  "  carry  on."  The  challenge  of  Germany  to  us  was  not 
that  we  couldn't  fight,  but  that  we  couldn't  mobilize  our  resources. 
When  America  entered  the  war,  the  German  General  Staff  made 
this  curt  announcement  to  the  German  people :  "  There  is  nothing 
to  fear  from  America.  Being  a  democracy,  America  cannot  organ- 
ize her  resources  to  the  extent  necessary  for  waging  a  modern  war." 
The  Huns  in  their  arrogance  believe  this.  It  is  an  American  soldier's 
duty  to  strengthen  not  only  his  own  morale,  but  the  morale  of  the 
folks  back  home  so  that  his  brothers-in-arms  on  the  farms,  in  the 
ship-yards,  in  the  mines  and  in  the  munition  plants  may  give  the  lie 
to  the  German  taunt.  Here  is  a  letter  which  is  admirable  both  for 
its  good  spirits  and  its  feeling  of  fellowship  with  our  Allies.  It  comes 
from  Corporal  R.  E.  Dowdell  of  the  14th  Engineers,  A.  E.  F. 

Back  home  one  cannot  realize  the  vastness  of  this  world  war.  Even  in 
England,  with  the  exception  of  the  lack  of  young  men,  no  one,  unless  an  eye- 
witness, can  imagine  the  waste,  the  cruelty,  the  sacrifice,  and  the  terror  that 
this  mechanical  war  carries  with  it. 

America  has  just  started.  The  advent  of  our  participating  in  this  con- 
flict has  considerable  moral  effect  on  all  nations  involved.  Never  in  the 
history  of  the  American  people  have  their  troops  received  such  a  splendid, 
enthusiastic  reception  as  did  our  regiment  and  three  others  in  London  on 
August  15.  Stamped  in  the  faces  of  the  women  and  old  men  who  madly 
cheered  us  during  our  four-mile  march  through  the  principal  streets  was 
half,  no,  three-quarters  sorrow,  and  the  remainder  relief.     Relief,  that  at 


SOLDIERS'  LETTERS  HOME  29 

last  an  ally  of  unlimited  wealth  had  started  in  to  assist  in  the  extermination 
of  the  war.  Let  no  one  convince  you  that  England,  or  rather  the  British, 
as  all  Britons  fight  this  war,  do  not  know  hospitality.  An  American  recep- 
tion could  be  no  more  enthusiastic  than  that  tendered  our  troops. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  four  regiments  that  paraded  in  London 
that  Wednesday  were  the  first  troops  of  a  foreign  nation,  ally  or  enemy,  to 
land  in  England  under  arms,  for  centuries. 

We  were  received  by  King  George  and  Queen  Dowager  Alexandra. 
Dinner  was  served  the  regiment  on  the  Buckingham  Palace  grounds. 

In  France,  however,  a  different  reception  awaited  us.  One  that  made 
breathing  diflBcult  and  eyes  misty.  Sad  faces  of  those  who  suffered,  morally, 
physically,  and  financially,  forced  smiles  to  their  lips  and  cheers  from  their 
throats  to  welcome  the  first  volunteers  from  America.  They  have  all  suffered 
beyond  description.  My  pen,  or  that  of  the  greatest  writer,  could  never 
bring  out  that  dead,  appealing  look  in  the  French  civilians'  eyes,  especially 
those  of  the  women.  ,  .  . 

Picture  yourself  standing  on  a  pile  of  broken  plaster  and  brick,  with 
your  poncho  dripping  wet  and  your  hat  brim  bending  down  while  a  regiment 
of  British  Tommies  just  out  of  the  trenches  march  past  towards  a  street 
car  singing  "Smile,  Smile,  Smile."  Can  you  imagine  a  thousand  mud- 
stained,  unkempt  men  singing  "smile"  after  eight  months  of  trench  work? 
I  can,  for  I  stood  on  that  wet,  sticky  brick  pile  and  watched  them  march 
past. 

It  seemed  unbelievable  at  first,  but  as  time  wears  on  and  I  become 
acclimated  to  these  customs,  I  can  accustom  myself  to  their  mood.  It  is 
something  like  this  :  "I'm  here  —  he's  there  —  my  pal's  there,  and  Fritz  is 
getting  a  little  more  than  us." 

It  is  a  day's  work  with  these  Tommies.  They  admit  the  German  ability 
to  fight,  but  at  the  same  time  they  convince  you  that  they  are  just  as  good. 
And  they  are.  So  it's  "Smile,  Smile,  Smile"  in  face  of  hardships,  hunger, 
and  cold.  It's  "Smile,  Smile,  Smile"  whether  it's  "over  the  top"  or  fatigue 
back  of  the  lines,  but  it's  a  few  extra  smiles  when  it  is  "Blighty." 

"Blighty  "  is  London,  the  soldier's  paradise.  "Blighty,"  where  a  soldier's 
money  is  not  spendable,  and  good  cheer  and  warmth  and  real  food  await.  .  .  . 


30  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

Even  the  British  officers  are  cordial  towards  the  American  troops. 
Yesterday  a  captain  and  a  lieutenant  were  standing  at  a  crossroad  as  I 
passed.     They  hailed  me  with,  "Well,  corporal,  what  do  you  think  of  it.'*" 

I  saluted,  and  for  over  an  hour  we  talked  of  the  war.  We  could  see  the 
shells  bursting  in  the  distance,  and  they  explained  that  Fritz  was  searching 
for  a  5 -inch  battery  which  had  shelled  a  crossroad  all  day.  A  German 
trench  was  just  below  our  feet,  half  filled  with  water  and  supported  by 
timbers.  Before  and  behind  it  were  barbed  and  fish  wire  entanglements. 
It  was  then  I  learned  the  horrors  of  "over  the  top." 

The  wire  was  not  over  eight  inches  from  the  ground,  concealed  in  the 
grass.  Before  a  charge,  the  artillery  shelled  the  wire  all  day  and  night, 
tearing  pathways  through  it. 

"We  go  over  the  top,"  the  British  captain  explained,  "and  it  is  not  very 
pleasant  picking  your  way  through  the  pathways  with  Herr  Fritz  popping 
at  you  with  a  machine  gun." 

I  granted  this  to  be  true.  They  are  cool,  these  British  officers.  They 
told  me  of  a  captain  who  alone  captured  80  Germans.  They  were  in  a  tunnel 
trench,  and  with  a  machine  gun,  single-handed,  he  invited  them  to  surrender, 
thusly : 

"All  who  wish  to  surrender  may  signify  in  the  usual  manner."  He  got 
a  D.  S.  0.1 

40.  Deep  Feeling.  —  Often  a  soldier  feels  so  deeply  the  great 
purposes  of  this  war  that  his  words  become  eloquent.  Such  letters 
are  filled  with  the  inspiration  of  victory  and  will  be  cherished  by  the 
generations  to  come.  One  of  the  most  eloquent  letters  of  the  war 
was  written  by  Lieut.  Harry  Butters,  an  American  serving  in  the 

British  Royal  Field  Artillery,  who  has  since  been  killed  in  France  : 

t 

I  am  no  longer  untried.     Two  weeks'  action  in  a  great  battle  is  to  my 

credit,  and  if  my  faith  in  the  wisdom  of  my  course  or  my  enthusiasm  for  the 

cause  had  been  due  to  fail,  it  would  have  done  so  during  that  time.     But  it 

has  only  become  stronger ;   I  find  myself  a  soldier  among  millions  of  others 

^  Our  Service,  Boston,  October,  1917. 


SOLDIERS'  LETTERS  HOME  31 

in  the  great  allied  armies,  fighting  for  all  I  believe  right  and  civilized  and 
humane  against  a  power  which  is  evil  and  which  threatens  the  existence  of 
all  the  right  we  prize  and  the  freedom  we  enjoy. 

It  may  seem  to  you  that  for  me  this  is  all  quite  uncalled  for,  that  it  can 
only  mean  either  the  supreme  sacrifice  for  nothing,  or  at  best  some  of  the 
best  years  of  my  life  wasted ;  but  I  tell  you  that  not  only  am  I  willing  to 
give  my  life  to  this  enterprise  (for  that  is  comparatively  easy  except  when 
I  think  of  you) ,  but  that  I  firmly  believe  —  if  I  live  through  it  to  spend  a 
useful  lifetime  with  you  —  that  never  will  I  have  an  opportunity  to  gain 
so  much  honorable  advancement  for  my  own  soul,  or  to  do  so  much  for  the 
cause  of  the  world's  progress,  as  I  have  here  daily,  defending  the  liberty  that 
mankind  has  so  far  gained  against  the  attack  of  an  enemy  who  would  deprive 
us  of  it  and  set  the  world  back  some  centuries  if  he  could  have  his  way. 

I  think  less  of  myself  than  I  did,  less  of  the  heights  of  personal  success  I 
aspired  to  climb,  and  more  of  the  service  that  each  of  us  must  render  in  pay- 
ment for  the  right  to  live  and  by  virtue  of  which  only  we  can  progress. 

Yes,  my  dearest  folks,  we  are  indeed  doing  the  world's  work  over  here, 
and  I  am  in  it  to  the  finish. 

Brief  List  of  Collections  of  Letters 

In  tJw  Firing  Line  (Letters  of  British  Soldiers  and  Sailors,  edited  by 
A.  St.  J.  Adcock),  London,  1914. 

Friends  of  France:  The  Field  Service  of  the  American  Ambidance,  Boston, 
1916. 

The  Harvard  Volunteers  in  Europe,  ed.  by  M.  A.  DeW.  Howe,  Cambridge, 
1916. 

Victor  Chapman,  Letters  from  France,  New  York,  1917. 

Alan  Seeger,  Letters  and  Diary,  New  York,  1917. 

Lt.  Coningsby  Dawson,  Carry  On:  Letters  in  War  Time,  New  York  and 
London,  1917. 

Russell  A.  Kelly,  Kelly  of  the  Foreign  Legion,  New  York,  1917. 

Maurice  Barres,  "  Young  Soldiers  of  France,"  in  Tlie  War  and  the  Spirit 
of  Youth,  Boston,  1917. 

Arthur  G.  Heath,  Letters,  Oxford,  1917. 


CHAPTER  IV 
ADMINISTRATIVE   ORDERS   AND   MEMORANDA 

41.  Be  Prepared.  —  The  recruit  or  student  soldier  will  at  first 
thought  consider  that  he  can  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  writing  of 
orders  and  memoranda;  indeed,  that  there  are  few  which  he  will 
have  occasion  to  read.  Often  he  sees  none  on  the  company  bulletin 
board;  the  first  sergeant,  at  formations,  reads  them  to  him.  He 
looks  forward  to  his  recommendation  for  commission  as  both  distant 
and  highly  uncertain.  Consequently,  he  turns  to  more  pressing 
matters.  Yet  his  postponement  of  this  subject  is  an  error.  In 
every  company  a  company  clerk  is  required,  and  this  company  clerk 
will  very  likely  be  intrusted,  if  he  shows  himself  competent,  with  the 
drafting  of  orders.  Within  a  fortnight  of  enlistment,  he  may  prove 
an  advantage  or  a  disadvantage  to  the  company  as  a  whole  in  direct 
proportion  to  the  clearness  and  explicitness  of  the  orders  he  drafts 
under  the  instructions  of  his  commanding  officer.  Or,  if  suddenly 
and  unexpectedly  commissioned  —  as  were  some  four  thousand 
young  men  at  the  S.  A.  T.  C.  camps,  and  sent  to  colleges  to  take  im- 
mediate command  of  companies  —  he  may  find  the  task  immediately 
thrust  upon  him  with  no  competent  assistance  at  hand.  Prepared- 
ness everywhere  gains  immediate  esteem. 

The  type  of  orders  with  which  the  soldier  recruit  or  new  officer 
will  first  have  to  dp  is  not  the  march  order  which  he  encounters  in 
the  Field  Service  Regulations  or  the  combat  order  now  best  explained 
in  the  Instructions  for  the  Offensive  Combat  of  Small  Units;  rather 
he  will  be  called  upon  to  deal  with  a  great  many  less  interesting  orders 
published  in  the  course  of  organization,  training,  and  administration 

32 


ADMINISTRATIVE  ORDERS  AND  MEMORANDA  33 

of  a  command  prior  to  its  engagement  in  overseas  service.  Reference 
to  scattered  passages  in  Army  Regulations,  especially  Art.  LXI,  will 
enable  him  to  get  some  idea  of  them  in  the  abstract,  but  without 
models. 

42.  Kinds  of  Orders.  —  Orders  issued  to  a  company  by  its  com- 
mander or  to  a  battalion  (unless  detached  from  its  regiment)  by  its 
commander  are  termed  simply  Orders,  without  any  other  designa- 
tion except  the  serial  number  of  each  order  in  its  file.  When  the 
coMmander  of  a  detached  battalion,  a  regiment,  or  organization 
issues  orders,  however,  he  has  often  to  give  orders  which  concern 
only  small  units  or  individuals,  and,  as  such,  are  not  suflBciently  im- 
portant to  claim  the  attention  of  his  whole  command.  His  orders, 
accordingly,  are  divided  into  the  two  classes  of  general  orders  and 
special  orders.  General  orders  include  matters  which  require  the 
attention  of  the  whole  command,  especially  matters  which  require 
their  permanent  attention.  Such  are  the  schedule  of  calls,  regular 
duties,  police  regulations,  and  appointment  of  important  officers. 
They  are  published  in  such  a  way  as  to  insure  the  communication 
of  them  to  the  entire  command.  Special  orders  are  those  which 
concern  only  a  part  of  the  unit,  or  which  at  least  need  be  known  to 
only  a  part.  Such  are  details  to  special  or  extra  duty,  duties  affect- 
ing a  single  company,  and  the  like.  An  order  may  be  put  in  the 
form  of  a  letter,  addressed  to  the  individual,  unit,  or  units  concerned, 
and  sent  through  the  proper  channels.  (See  Army  Regulations,  §  795.) 
In  case  time  presses,  a  telegram  may  be  so  used. 

In  the  administration  of  a  large  unit  there  are  innumerable  little 
orders,  as  those  issued  for  interviewing  and  transfers  handled  by  the 
Personnel  Office.  To  issue  even  special  orders  for  such  purposes 
involves  a  considerable  amount  of  paperwork,  —  submitting  the 
document  to  the  commanding  officer,  making  carbon  copies,  delivering 
them  to  many  f)ersons  not  concerned  (thereby  wasting  their  time). 


34  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

In  order  to  cut  short  such  red  tape,  a  custom  has  grown  up  of  issuing 
less  formal  orders  —  called  memoranda,  but  none  the  less  orders  — 
which  pass  only  to  the  individual  or  individuals  concerned.  It  is 
considered  by  many  of  our  most  efficient  officers  the  best  practice 
to  handle  the  mass  of  detailed  administration  by  such  memoranda. 
Indeed,  the  more  strictly  the  file  of  orders  can  be  confined  to  a  very 
few,  the  more  commendable  they  consider  the  adjutant's  organiza- 
tion. This  is  because  a  long  file  of  orders  tends  (1)  to  confuse  the 
memory,  and  (2)  to  lessen  the  importance  of  each. 

43.  Form  of  Orders.  —  The  form  of  an  order  is  not  less  im- 
portant to  a  commander  than  the  form  of  a  letter  to  the  writer.  By 
it  he  will  be  judged.  An  irregularity  which  might  in  a  letter  escape 
the  attention  or  comment  of  the  individual  addressed  will  not  escape 
the  scrutiny  of  a  command.  Orders  should  not  be  issued  without 
repeated  scrutiny,  and  —  if  practicable  —  after  an  interval  for  reflec- 
tion. Should  an  error  nevertheless  occur,  a  corrected  copy  of  the 
order  must  be  issued;  and  in  this  case,  the  correct  version  should 
bear  at  the  top  the  words :  "  Corrected  copy :  destroy  copies  pre- 
viously sent." 

44.  The  heading  —  except  in  the  case  of  memoranda  confined 
within  a  single  office  —  must  state  explicitly  the  place  and  date  of 
issue,  conforming  to  the  same  rules  as  those  given  for  official  corre- 
spondence. Each  day  there  can  be  issued  only  one  document  con- 
taining General  Orders,  and  one  document  containing  Special  Orders. 
The  contents  of  either  or  both  may  consist  of  as  many  paragraphs 
as  may  prove  convenient  and  as  many  subjects  as  there  are  para- 
graphs. For  this  reason  the  plural  '*  orders  "  is  used.  But  since 
in  theory  such  orders  are  published  at  parade,  and  since  in  practice 
repeated  trips  to  Headquarters  for  hourly  bulletins  of  orders  would 
disorganize  the  routine  of  the  day,  only  one  set  is  issued  daily.  On 
most  days"  there  will  be  no  general  order. 


ADMINISTRATIVE  ORDERS  AND  MEMORANDA  35 

45.  The  file  number,  as  in  oflScial  letters,  is  placed  at  the  upper 
left  corner.  General  Orders  have  one  series  of  file  numbers  and 
Special  Orders  another.  Indeed,  all  orders  of  a  company,  battalion, 
regiment,  or  higher  command  are  numbered  in  a  separate  series  be- 
ginning either  with  the  new  year  or  with  the  organization  of  the 
unit.  Thus  in  a  regiment  there  will  be  separate  files  for  General 
Orders,  Special  Orders,  Memoranda,  and  Field  Orders.  On  the  first 
of  the  new  file  each  year  should  be  noted  the  last  number  of  the  pre- 
ceding series.  Thus,  "  Spec.  O.  No.  214  is  the  last  of  the  1918  series  " 
should  appear  at  the  top  of  Special  Order  No.  1  of  the  1919  series. 
So  with  each  of  the  other  files.  In  case  a  number  should  happen  to 
be  passed  over,  as  sometimes  occurs  when  a  prepared  order,  owing 
to  later  information,  is  withheld  and  not  issued,  the  file  numbers 
should  nevertheless  be  kept  consecutive  by  publishing  an  order  of 
the  number  passed  over.  This  replacement  order  will  have  for  its 
substance  only  the  words  *'  Not  issued.*' 

46.  The  signature  of  an  order  in  a  company  is  precisely  that  of 
an  official  letter,  —  two  lines,  the  first  consisting  of  the  officer's  name, 
the  second  consisting  of  his  rank  and  the  arm  of  the  service  to  which 
he  belongs.  In  units  larger  than  a  company,  however,  the  signature 
will  rarely  be  that  of  the  commanding  officer,  except  when  he  takes 
over  the  command  or  appoints  a  new  adjutant.  Usually  orders  will 
be  issued  with  the  signature  of  the  adjutant  of  a  major  or  colonel, 
and  by  the  chief  of  staff  of  a  general  officer. 

'*  An  order  will  state  the  source  from  which  it  emanates."  (A.  R., 
§  795).  This  regulation  is  customarily  complied  with  in  the  signa- 
ture.    For  example,  consider  the  following : 

By  order  of  Colonel  Boutwell, 
J.  R.  Blakely, 

Captain,  24  Cav., 
Adjutant. 


36  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

This  is  the  usual  form  of  signature  in  a  regimental  order.  Adjutants 
of  battalions  are  regularly  first  lieutenants ;  adjutants  of  regiments, 
captains ;  adjutants  of  divisions,  majors.  In  divisions  and  higher 
bodies  the  signature  becomes  more  complicated.  The  "  chief  of 
staff  "  signs  in  the  same  place  and  manner  as  the  adjutant  of  a  regi- 
ment, substituting  for  the  word  "  adjutant  "  the  phrase  "  chief  of 
staff."  On  the  left  of  the  page  and  slightly  lower  appears  the  signa- 
ture of  the  adjutant  as  verification  that  the  document  is  official. 

By  command  of  Major  General  Hodges, 
M.  B.  Stewart, 
Colonel,  N.  A.,  General  Staff, 
Chief  of  Staff. 
Official : 

G.  M.  Peek, 

Major,  Field  Artillery,  N.  A., 
Adjutant. 

47.  Copies  of  Orders.  —  The  office  issuing  an  order  keeps  a 
retain  copy  and  supplies  a  copy  to  each  of  the  offices  concerned.  In 
less  important  communications  the  duplication  of  copies  is  often 
wisely  avoided  by  circulating  a  single  copy  to  be  read  and  initialled 
by  the  persons  concerned.  Thus,  an  orderly  carries  to  company 
orderly  rooms  a  single  copy  with  an  attached  sheet  with  list  of  com- 
panies for  checking  with  signatures  of  representatives  of  the  company 
commanders.  In  the  case  of  special  orders  extracts  of  individual 
paragraphs  are  copied  and  sent  to  the  individuals  or  units  con- 
cerned. Such  extracts  have  the  usual  heading  and  signature  with 
the  title  "  Extract." 

48.  Contents  of  Orders.  —  The  principle  of  unity,  so  definitely 
insisted  upon  in  the  composition  of  military  letters,  is  also  desirable 
in  orders.  It  can  be  achieved  in  General  Orders,  since  the  infre- 
quency  of  issuing  these  makes  it  possible  to  deal  with  one  subject 


ADMINISTRATIVE  ORDERS  AND  MEMORANDA  37 

at  a  time.  Sj>ecial  Orders,  however,  in  large  commands  are  likely 
to  be  issued  daily  and  to  deal  with  a  multitude  of  subjects,  requiring 
even  thirty  or  more  paragraphs.  Although  no  regulation  requires 
grouping  or  consecutive  arrangement  of  these  units,  it  is  desirable 
that  they  be  arranged  under  classes  of  subjects  when  convenient. 
Exigencies  of  work  will  usually  prevent  this  and  result  in  their  being 
put  together  helter-skelter  in  the  order  in  which  they  happen  to  be 
put  through.  Nor  does  the  lack  of  arrangement  greatly  matter. 
The  persons  or  units  concerned  receive  in  separate  extracts  the  items 
which  concern  them :  almost  no  one  has  occasion  to  read  through- 
out an  issue  of  Special  Orders  unless  he  have  the  turn  of  mind  of  a 
village  gossip. 

The  principles  of  composition,  however,  apply  with  none  the  less 
force  to  each  slender  paragraph  unit.  It  must  be  unmistakably 
clear  and  must  fully  prescribe  the  course  of  action  it  directs. 

12.  Private  Karl  S.  Ward  (1679245),  Hdqrs.  Co.,  301st  Infantry,  is 
relieved  from  duty  at  the  Soldiers  Club,  this  cantonment,  and  will  report 
to  his  organization  commander,  for  duty. 

The  army  serial  number  is  given  with  the  name  of  enlisted  men  to 
prevent  confusion  from  the  not  infrequent  duplication  of  ordinary 
names.  No  date  is  specified,  since  an  order  goes  into  effect  at  issue. 
Observe  that  the  soldier  is  given  no  excuse  for  awaiting  a  further 
order;  he  is  directed  to  report. 

2.  The  Regiment  will  form  in  marching  order,  by  battalions,  on  Boylston 
Street  at  8 :  40  a.m.,  the  band  in  advance. 

This  extract  from  General  Orders  is  open  to  criticism  on  several 
counts.  The  position  of  the  band  hardly  need  be  stated.  The  order 
of  battalions,  however,  depending  on  the  seniority  of  ofiicers,  and  the 
place  on  Boylston  Street  where  the  head  of  the  column  should  rest 
might  properly  have  been  stated.     If  the  separate  battalions  were 


38 


MILITARY  ENGLISH 


to  form  with  misunderstanding  of  either  of  these  points,  confusion 
must  certainly  arise,  occasionally  vexatious  delay. 

49.  Models  of  Orders.  —  Several  examples  of  administrative 
orders  are  here  offered  as  guides.  Slavish  copying  of  any  particular 
form  in  the  contents  is  not  to  be  desired  or  commended. 


Form  for  company  orders: 


Orders, 
No.  6. 


Co.  K,  32d  Infantry, 

Plattsburg  Barracks,  N.  Y. 
July  27,  1918. 


1.  Corporal  Charles  Quirin  is  relieved  from  duty  as  Company  Clerk 
and  placed  on  special  duty  in  the  Sergeant  Major's  office. 

2.  Corporal   Abraham   Goldburg   is   appointed   Company   Clerk,    vice 
Corporal  Quirin  relieved. 

3.  Private  George  P.  Denham  is  appointed  Lance  Corporal. 

J.  G.  Hollister, 

Captain,  32d  Infantry. 


Notes  :  In  the  case  of  a  detachment,  use  as  heading  ''Detachment  Co. 
K,  32d  Infantry,"  or  "Detachment  32d  Infantry."  The  signature  does  not 
vary  in  form. 

The  usual  routine  orders  issued  in  a  company  include  appointments  and 
relief  from  duty  of  bugler,  company  clerk,  company  tailor,  cook,  first  class 
private,'  mechanic,  first  sergeant,  lance  corporal,  mess  sergeant,  and  supply 
sergeant. 


ADMINISTRATIVE  ORDERS  AND  MEMORANDA  39 

Form  for  a  battalion  detached  from  its  regiment: 

Headquarters,  3d  Battalion,  Harvard  S.  A.  T.  C. 
Wakefield,  Mass.,  May  20,  1919. 

General  Orders, 

No.  2. 

1.  Swimming  in  the  lake  is  prohibited  until  further  notice. 

2.  Under  the  provisions  of  A.  R.  §  256,  the  following  temporary  appoint- 
ment is  made  in  this  battalion  : 

Sergeant  John  R.  Kemble,  Co.  L,  32d  Infantry,  to  be  battalion  Sergeant 
Major,  vice  Hunt,  discharged. 

By  order  of  Major  Carrington, 
R.  D.  James, 
1st  Lieut.,  32d  Infantry, 
Battalion  Adjutant. 


Note:  A  battalion  will  seldom  be  detached  from  its  regiment  except 
for  tactical  purposes  in  the  field.  Its  orders  then  will  usually  be  Field  Orders. 
It  may,  however,  occupy  a  post  and  issue  General  and  Special  Orders.  If  not 
detached,  it  issues  only  "Orders"  and  the  term  "Headquarters"  is  not  used. 


Form  for  a  large  post  : 

Headquarters  National  Army  Cantonment, 
Special  Orders,  Camp  Devens,  Ayer,  Mass. 

No.  160.  June  25,  1918. 

,  1.  Pursuant  to  telegraphic  instructions  from  the  War  Department, 
dated  June  24,  1918,  Quartermaster  Sergeant  Eugene  Million  (1670292), 
Permanent  School  Detachment,  School  for  Bakers  and  Cooks,  this  Canton- 
ment, will  be  discharged  by  his  Commanding  Officer,  to  enable  him  to  accept 
appointment  as  Second  Lieutenant,  Quartermaster  Corps,  N.  A. 


40  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

2.  So  much  of  Par.  36,  S.  O.  155,  these  Headquarters,  e.  s.,  as  relates 
to  Captain  Joseph  Turner,  M.  R.  C,  is  amended  to  read  "who  is  assigned 
to  Detachment  Medical  Department,  304th  Infantry." 

3.  Private  Frank  H.  Cauley  (1657110),  Machine  Gun  Co.,  301st  In- 
fantry, is  transferred  to  the  151st  Depot  Brigade,  and  will  report  to  the 
Commanding  Officer,  thereof,  for  duty. 

4.  Captain  Richard  F.  Nelligan,  N.  A.,  Athletic  Director,  this  Canton- 
ment, is  detailed  as  the  military  member  of  the  Enlisted  Men's  Club  Com- 
mittee, vice  First  Lieutenant  Robert  C.  Deming,  Inf.,  N.  A.,  301st  Infantry, 
hereby  relieved. 

5.  Upon  the  recommendation  of  the  Camp  Quartermaster,  this  Canton- 
ment, Private  First  Class  Vaughn  S.  Littlefield  (1670077),  301st  Fire  Truck 
&  Hose  Co.,  is  promoted  to  the  grade  of  Sergeant  First  Class  (temporary), 
Q.  M.  C,  N.  A. 

He  will  be  obeyed  and  respected  accordingly. 

6.  Pursuant  to  instructions  contained  in  letter  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment, 220,816  Spain,  E.  M.,  dated  June  12,  1918,  Private  Miguel  Cobo 
(2722915),  Battery  E,  302d  Field  Artillery,  will  be  discharged  by  his  Com- 
manding Officer,  account  of  being  an  alien. 

50.  Memoranda.  —  In  form  a  memorandum  does  not  differ  as 
regards  either  heading  or  signature  from  other  kinds  of  orders.  It 
usually  consists  of  fewer  items,  however,  and  any  number  may  be 
issued  in  a  day.  The  writer  has  found  it  desirable  to  use  in  memo- 
randa the  same  principle  of  unity  as  in  letters,  and  to  give  a  separate 
file  number  for  each  subject.  Under  the  pressure  of  a  large  office 
there  is  sometimes  need  of  more  definite  dating  than  in  the  case  of 
special  orders.  The  memorandum  is  in  administration  what  the 
field  message  is  in  combat.  On  the  field  message  one  expects  the 
hour  and  minute;  confusion  will  often  be  avoided  by  stating  it  on 
the  memorandum. 


ADMINISTRATIVE  ORDERS  AND  MEMORANDA  41 

EXERCISES 

1.  Write  an  order  establishing  a  schedule  of  calls  for  a  summer  training 
camp.     Take  into  account  the  special  conditions  of  the  week-end. 

2.  Write  an  order  appointing  a  color  guard. 

3.  The  unit  is  directed  by  orders  emanating  from  Washington  to  par- 
ticipate or  be  represented  in  a  Liberty  Loan  parade.  Plan  according  to 
local  conditions  the  route  and  time  of  the  parade,  the  place  of  the  unit  in 
line,  provision  for  drink  and  food,  precautionary  measures  to  insure  the  fit 
condition  and  good  appearance  of  the  troops.  Write  the  various  forms  of 
orders  issued  for  this  occasion. 

•  4.  Write  a  special  order  of  several  paragraphs  containing  (a)  appointments 
of  non-commissioned  officers,  (b)  transfers  of  certain  men  from  one  unit  to 
another,  (c)  directions  for  a  detail  to  proceed  to  an  officers'  training  camp, 
(d)  furloughs. 

5.  Write  a  special  order  announcing  (a)  the  departure  of  certain  officers, 
(b)  the  arrival  or  appointment  of  others  to  fill  their  places,  (c)  the  assign- 
ment of  officers  to  special  duties. 

6.  Write  a  memorandum  appointing  an  officer  for  a  Liberty  Loan  cam- 
paign with  the  dates  and  places  of  reports  to  be  submitted  and  any  special 
regulations  that  are  to  be  observed. 


CHAPTER  V 
FIELD   ORDERS 

51.  Purpose  of  This  Chapter.  —  The  subject  of  Field  Orders  has 
been  more  fully  and  clearly  covered  than  any  other  form  of  army 
paperwork  that  requires  composition.  The  Field  Service  Regulations 
not  only  explain  their  composition  precisely,  but  afford  several  model 
forms  for  the  chief  types  in  use.  Colonel  Moss  in  his  Army  Paper- 
work disposes  of  the  subject  with  merely  a  reference  to  the  Field 
Service  Regulations.  Major  Eben  Swift's  book  entitled  Field  Orders, 
Messages,  and  Reports  consists  chiefly  of  a  very  careful  and  thorough 
treatment  of  Field  Orders,  with  fiUed-in  models,  cautions  arranged 
under  appropriate  heads,  and  historical  examples  to  reenforce  them. 
In  such  books,  however,  the  instruction  is  directed  primarily  and 
almost  exclusively  to  the  form  and  contents  of  orders  for  large  bodies 
of  troops,  much  larger  bodies  than  the  young  ofiicer  or  student 
soldier  for  whom  this  book  is  intended  will  be  likely  soon  to  have 
under  his  control.  The  present  chapter,  accordingly,  will  be  con- 
fined to  such  field  orders  as  might  be  issued  to  a  small  detachment 
amounting  to  a  battalion  or  a  regiment.  Within  this  limitation  it 
will  probably  serve  a  lieutenant's  needs. 

52.  Form  of  Field  Orders.  —  The  form  of  field  orders  is  pre- 
scribed for  heading,  contents,  and  signature.  Here  error  or  confu- 
sion may  result  not  solely  in  delay  with  consequent  vexation,  but  in 
irreparable  disaster. 

53.  The  heading  consists  of  the  title,  —  that  is,  the  organization 
from  which  a  particular  order  is  issued,  —  the  place  of  writing,  the 
date,  the  file  number,  and  a  reference  to  the  map  used.     Of  these 

42 


FIELD  ORDERS  43 

items  the  first  three  are  placed  at  the  upper  right  of  the  first  page; 
the  last  two  at  the  upper  left.     Consult  the  form  which  follows : 

(Order  for  Outposts) 
Headquarters,  1st  Bn.,  Harvard  Unit,  S.  A.  T.  C. 
Camp  at  Waverly,  Mass. 
Field  Orders,  12  Nov.,  1918,  3  :  30  p.m. 

No.  1. 
Blueprint  X. 

Observe  that  not  merely  the  day,  but  the  hour  (often  the  hour  and 
minute)  of  issue  is  stated.  This  should  be  the  hour  of  signature. 
Time  should  be  allowed  for  copies  to  reach  the  persons  involved  and 
to  permit  them  to  plan  details.  If  an  order  is  issued  at  night,  it 
should  be  dated  with  both  dates  as  follows :  '*  Night,  14/15  Feb." 
Usually  in  small  units  orders  will  be  given  verbally.  When  com- 
plicated, they  may  be  dictated  by  the  adjutant  to  an  assemblage  of 
officers.  Over  an  hour  should  be  allowed  for  transmission  through 
a  division.  Reference  to  the  map  used  should  prevent  misunder- 
standings that  ^rise  from  the  use  of  different  maps  —  made  often 
on  different  scales  and  at  different  dates.  Where  possible,  officers 
are  provided  with  uniform  maps. 

54.  The  signature  (or  ending)  of  field  orders  is  like  that  of  ad- 
ministrative orders.  It  states  the  authority  by  which  the  order  is 
issued  and  authenticates  it  by  the  signature,  rank,  and  office  of  the 
adjutant  (or  chief  of  staff).  It  specifies,  at  the  lower  left  of  the  last 
page,  to  whom  the  order  is  issued  and  by  what  means. 

By  order  of  Colonel  C artier, 
Francis  Durant, 

Captain  and  Adjutant,  8th  Inf. 

Dictated  to  Adjutants,  Battery  Commander,  Commander  of  Engineers, 
and  Staff. 

Copy  to  Division  Commander  by  Lt.  R. 


44  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

In  case  an  order  is  issued  in  compliance  with  one  issued  from  a 
higher  command,  copies  should  invariably  be  transmitted  to  that 
source. 

55.  The  contents  of  field  orders  vary  with  circumstances.  They 
may  be  written  for  a  variety  of  occasions,  as  (1)  a  march,  advance, 
or  retreat ;  (2)  advance,  flank,  or  rear  guards ;  (3)  the  placing  of 
outposts;  (4)  a  halt;  (5)  the  formation  of  camps  or  bivouacs; 
(6)  various  types  of  combat.  The  last  of  these  will  be  dealt  with  in 
a  special  chapter  on  operation  orders. 

56.  The  Distribution  of  Troops.  —  The  first  three  of  these  types 
have,  in  addition  to  the  body  of  the  order,  a  section  which  shows  the 
distribution  of  troops  in  the  command.  This  forms  a  column  on  the 
left-hand  side  of  the  page,  extending  about  one-third  of  the  space 
across,  and  headed  with  the  title  **  Troops."  In  other  types  of  field 
orders  the  troops  are  mentioned  in  the  body,  where  their  duties  are 
prescribed.  Under  the  heading  "  Troops  '*  the  several  bodies  into 
which  the  troops  are  distributed  are  listed  with  lettering  (a),  (b),  (c), 
etc.     A  simplified  example  for  a  battalion  follows  : 

Troops      .  1.   On  Saturday,  October  16th,  the  battalion 

(a)  Advance  Guard :  will  make  a   practice   march   to  AR- 

Lt.  A.  LINGTON   HEIGHTS  with  advance 

2d  Platoon,  Co.  D  and  rear  guards  for  purposes  of  instruc- 
tion. 
{b)  Main  Body: 

Capt.  W.  2.    (a)  The  advance  guard  will    march   at 

1st,  3d,  and  4th  Platoons,  8  a.m. 

Co.  D  (b)  It  will  precede  the  main  body   at   a 

Co.  A  distance  of  300  yards. 

Co.  B  3.    The    main    body   will   march    from    the 

1st,  2d,  and  4th  Platoons,  parade  ground    at   8  :  10   a.m.,  by 

Co.  C  MASSACHUSETTS  AVENUE. 


FIELD  ORDERS 


45 


(c)   Rear  Guard :  4.   The  rear  guard  will  follow  the  main  body 

Lt.  B.  at  a  distance  of  three  hundred  yards. 

3d  Platoon,  Co.  C  5.   The  battalion  commander  will  from  time 

to  time  inspect  the  advance  and  rear 
guards,  but  will  usually  be  with  the 
main  body. 

Usually  a  march  order  under  the  heading  "  Troops  "  will  prepare 
for  an  advance  or  rear  guard,  but  not  both ;  it  will  provide  also  for 
flank  guards,  and  in  large  bodies  for  cavalry  and  signal  troops.  The 
name  of  the  commander  is  placed  with  the  section  he  commands. 

57.   The  accompanying  table  shows  the    usual    distribution    of 
troops  in  large  bodies. 


Advance 

Advance  Guard 

Outposts 

Retreat 

Rear  Guards 

a.  Independent 

Advance 

Advance 

Ivcading 

Reserve  — 

Cavalry 

Cavalry 

Cavalry 

Troops 

in  order 
of  march 

b.  Advance 

Support 

Supports 

Main  body 

Support 

Guard 

(numbered 
from  right 
to  left) 

—  in  order 
of  march 

c.   Main  body  — 

Reserve  — 

Detached  Post 

Flank  Guard 

Rear 

in  order  of 

in  order  of 

Cavalry 

march 

march 

d.  Flank  Guard 

Flank  Guard 

Reserve 

Signal  Troops 

Flank  Guard 

e.   Signal  Troops 

■ 

58.  The  body  of  a  field  order  is  constructed  almost  unvaryingly 
in  five  paragraphs.  These  paragraphs  may  vary  in  length  and  may 
contain  a  number  of  subdivisions ;  but  five  there  should  be,  and 
each  of  the  five  should  contain  its  prescribed  information. 


46  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

I.   Information  (a)  of  the  enemy,  (b)  of  our  supporting  troops. 
II.   The  general  plan  of  the  commander. 

III.  Detailed  dispositions  and  tasks  of  the  elements  of  the  com- 
mand. 

IV.  Instructions  for  trains  —  whether  field,  sanitary,  ammuni- 
tion, supply,  or  engineer. 

V.   The  commander's  post  (where  messages  may  be  sent) . 

If  additional  paragraphs  are  used,  the  last  paragraph  invariably  dis- 
charges the  function  of  Paragraph  V.  The  additions  are  made  after 
Paragraph  IV,  or  in  its  place  when  there  are  no  trains.  Paragraph  III 
will  necessarily  contain  several  lettered  subdivisions,  each  contain- 
ing clear  and  precise  instructions  for  the  correspondingly  lettered 
body  in  the  distribution  of  troops  column.  These  instructions  will 
cover  the  place  and  time  of  departure,  route  to  be  traversed,  distance 
from  other  elements  of  the  command,  lines  of  communication  to  be 
established,  special  mission,  arrangements  for  relief,  conduct  in  case 
of  attack,  place  of  assembly,  target,  preparation  or  removal  of  ob- 
stacles, or  whatever  other  information  may  be  desirable  to  impart. 
59.    Cautions.  —  Several  cautions  are  to  be  added : 

1.  Abbreviations  are  not  used. 

2.  Place  names  are  written  in  capital  letters. 

3.  After  place  names  when  spelling  and  pronunciation  differ  markedly, 
a  phonetic  spelling  is  added  in  parenthesis. 

4.  Roads  are  indicated  by  two  or  more  place  names  separated  by  dashes. 

5.  Negative  expressions  are  avoided. 

6.  Brevity  and  precision  of  style  are  preferred. 

7.  Details  of  space  and  time  are  stated  precisely. 

8.  Orders  not  concerning  the  movement  in  hand  should  be  excluded. 

For  Exercises,  see  p.  66. 


CHAPTER  VI 
OPERATION  ORDERS 

60.  Change  in  Form.  —  During  the  present  war,  operation  orders 
have  developed  in  minuteness  and  fulness  to  an  unprecedented 
degree.  The  orders  of  warfare  a  century  ago  rarely  amounted  to 
more  than  a  few  paragraphs  and  were  communicated  only  to  the 
higher  commanders  —  so  much  was  secrecy  the  first  consideration. 
In  the  Civil  War,  indeed,  General  Grant  comments  as  follows  on 
the  methods  of  one  army  corps  commander :  "  After  giving  most 
intelligent  instructions  to  division  commanders,  he  would  go  in  with 
one  division,  holding  the  others  in  reserve  until  he  could  superintend 
their  movements  in  person  also,  forgetting  that  division  commanders 
could  execute  an  order  without  his  presence."  ^  Naturally,  in  small 
operations  and  unexpected  encounters,  the  orders  were  verbal. 
Usage  prior  to  the  present  war  called  for  written  orders  of  two  kinds  ; 
general  orders  communicated  to  all  subordinate  commanders,  and 
special  orders  clearly  explaining  to  each  one  the  operations  for  which 
he  was  responsible.  The  general  order  was  expected  to  cover  the 
following  points : 

I.  The  general  situation  of  the  opposing  forces,  and  the  position  and 
probable  designs  of  the  enemy. 
n.  The  plan  of  action  determined  upon  and  the  part  to  be  taken 
therein  by  each  portion  of  the  attacking  force;  the  strength 
and  composition  of  which,  with  the  names  of  the  commanders, 
should  be  set  forth  in  detail  in  the  margin  of  the  order. 

^  Memoirs,  Vol.  II,  p.  214. 

47 


48  MILITARY   ENGLISH 

III.  The  preliminary  position  to  be  taken  up  by  each  distinct  portion 

of  the  attacking  force,  and  the  objective  of  its  attack. 

IV.  The  time  when  these  positions  are  to  be  occupied,  and  the  hour 

at  which  the  attack  is  to  commence  from  each. 
V.   The  positions  of  the  field  hospitals. 
VI.    The  positions  of  the  trains  of  the  different  columns. 
VII.   The  position  of  the  commander  during  the  action. 
Vni.   The  strength  and  position  of  the  reserves. 

At  present  the  elaboration  of  orders  has  gone  so  far  that  we  shall 
confine  ourselves  to  illustration  of  company  orders,  as  the  only  kind 
with  which  the  new  oflficer  will  for  some  time  be  concerned.  In- 
structions in  further  detail  for  the  company,  as  well  as  for  the  bat- 
talion, will  be  found  in  War  Dept.  Doc.  No.  802,  War  Plans  Division, 
May,  1918,  Instructions  for  the  Offensive  Combat  of  Small  Units , 
pp.  25-27.  (Prepared  from  official  French  Doc.  of  2  Jan.,  1918,  at 
Hq.  of  A.  E.  F.)  The  success  of  an  attack  depends  greatly  on  the 
perfection  of  the  preparation,  and  this  perfection  must  be  insured 
by  the  company  commander's  order  for  action.  To  insure  its  re- 
liability it  is  submitted  for  the  approval  of  the  commander  of  the 
next  higher  unit.^  It  is  preliminary  to  the  signal  for  attack  in  much 
the  same  way  that  the  preparatory  command  precedes  and  ex- 
plains the  command  of  execution.  The  final  attack  order  most 
frequently  consists  merely  in  indicating  the  hour  for  the  assault. 

61.  Directions  for  a  Company  Order.  —  The  order  is  based  on 
the  following  general  considerations :  the  mission  assigned  to  the 
unit ;  the  obstacles  to  be  overcome  in  order  to  execute  this  mission ; 
the  means  at  the  disposal  of  the  unit. 

^  In  open  ground,  and  in  the  case  of  troops  brought  on  the  line  of  departure  for 
an  attack  within  a  very  short  time,  it  will  be  impossible  to  write  a  complete  order 
and  have  it  approved  by  the  superior  authority.  The  leader  will  often  have  to  limit 
himself  to  giving  the  essential  orders.  The  first  thing  he  will  make  known  is  "In- 
formation of  the  enemy." 


OPERATION  ORDERS  49 

The  order  for  action  of  the  company  includes  : 

1 .  Information  of  the  enemy. 

2.  Mission  of  the  battalion. 

Mission  of  the  company  and  of  the  neighboring  companies. 

Phases  of  the  attack ;  objectives  or  successive  objectives. 
Direction  of  the  attack  given  with  the  compass.     Indication  of 

a  distant  direction  point. 

3.  Limits  of  front  assigned  to  the  company. 

4.  Mission  of  each  platoon;  objectives  or  successive  objectives; 
its  hne  of  advance. 

Route  of  advance. 

When  necessary,  designation  of  the  base  platoon  for  re- 
assembling the  company  when  an  objective  has  been 
reached. 

5.  Attack  formation  of  the  company.  General  formation.  For- 
mation for  each  platoon.  Formation  for  the  assault  echelon  and 
for  the  support  echelon  —  distance  between  echelons. 

Fire  reserve  of  the  captain.   Automatic  riflemen  (if  the  situation 
requires) . 

6.  Formation  prior  to  assault.  Occupation  of  the  departure 
trenches  —  position  for  each  platoon. 

7:  Cleaning  up.  Number  and  composition  of  the  cleaning-up 
parties  to  op)erate  in  the  assigned  front. ^ 

Their  initial  position  prior  to  assault,  duties  assigned  to  each 
in  detail. 
8.    Advance.     How  it  will  take  place,  keeping  close  to  the  creep- 
ing barrage. 

Schedule  for  the  movement  of  the  barrage. 

^  The  captain  makes  sure  before  the  assault  that  the  cleaning-up  parties  assigned 
to  him  are  in  place  and  understand  their,  duties. 
E 


50  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

Use  of  signal  fireworks. 

Conditions  under  which  a  new  advance  will  be  made  after 
halting  at  an  intermediate  objective. 
9.   Machine  guns.    Machine  guns  that  are  to  support  the  com- 
pany —  their  duties  in  detail. 

10.  One-pounder  guns  and  accompanying  mortars.  Their  duties,  in 
detail,  as  far  as  the  company  is  concerned. 

11.  Divisional  machine  guns.     Schedule  of  overhead  fire. 

12.  Mission  of  the  tanks  operating  in  the  front  assigned  to  the 
company.     Liaison  between  the  tanks  and  the  infantry. 

13.  Liaison.  Liaison  within  the  company,  with  neighboring 
companies,  with  the  battalion  commander ;  runners. 

Position  and  line  of  march  of  the  captain ;  position  and  line 
of  march  of  the  battalion  commander ;  successive  command 
posts  of  the  colonel. 

14.  Marking  out  the  front.  Means  for  indicating  the  front  when 
a  certain  line  has  been  reached,  or  at  a  particular  hour,  or  on  request 
of  the  aviator. 

15.  Organization  of  the  captured  ground.  When  the  company 
is  passed  by  a  unit  executing  a  passage  of  lines ;  occupation  of  the 
normal  objective ;  patrols  to  be  sent  out ;  provisions  regarding  the 
strong  point  and  combat  groups ;  distribution  of  duties  for  the  execu- 
tion of  these  works  (sketches) ;  order  of  construction  of  the  works, 
in  order  of  importance ;  conditions  under  which  the  advance  will  be 
carried  to  the  final  objective. 

16.  Dress,  equipment,  pack  of  the  m^n. 

17.  Supplies.  Organization,  establishment  of  depots,  munitions 
and  fireworks,  rations,  water,  miscellaneous  material  (tools,  barbed 
wire,  sand  bags). 

Carrying  parties  (generally  detailed  from  units  other  than 
the  company) ;  how  distributed  within  the  company. 


OPERATION  ORDERS  51 

18.  Medical  service.  Location  of  battalion  and  regimental  first- 
aid  stations. 

19.  Prisoners.     Measure  to  be  taken ;  assembly  point. 

The  order  for  action  is  widely  circulated  in  the  company.  It  is 
communicated,  at  least,  to  the  officers  and  N.  C.  O.'s,  who  communi- 
cate it  to  their  men. 

The  order  thus  prepared  endeavors  to  arrange  precisely  for  the 
movement  of  each  unit  of  the  company.  It  is  supplemented  by  still 
more  thoroughgoing  verbal  directions  of  platoon  leaders  and  squad 
leaders.  Finally,  when  opportunity  permits,  the  attack  is  rehearsed 
some  distance  behind  the  lines,  sometimes  repeatedly,  till  the  future 
action  becomes  almost  precisely  foreseen.  Troops  carry  through  the 
actual  attack  by  rote,  and  attain  their  objectives  on  schedule  time. 

62.   Common  Errors  to  be  Avoided  in  Orders.  — 

1.  Avoid  vague  expressions  of  size  or  direction.  What  is  "  large  " 
to  one  person  may  seem  "  small  "  to  another.  If  you  say  "  behind  " 
or  *'  before,"  uncertainty  remains  as  to  which  way  you  face.  Take 
directions  from  the  compass. 

2.  Avoid  all  matters  not  strictly  necessary  to  the  purpose  in 
hand.  Just  as  a  letter  concerns  one  subject,  so  a  field  order  concerns 
only  one  tactical  situation. 

3.  Avoid  petty  details.  Leave  to  the  subordinates  the  working 
out  of  purposes  which  you  clearly  define. 

4.  Avoid  all  qualifying  words  which  permit  easy  desistance  from 
an  operation.  Do  not  say  *'  try  to  capture,"  but  **  capture  " ;  not 
"  endeavor  to  hold,"  but  *'  hold."  Do  not  permit  partial  accomplish- 
ment by  such  expressions  as  *'  so  far  as  possible." 

5.  If  provision  must  be  made  for  retreat  when  ordering  an  ad- 
vance, this  should  be  communicated  only  to  the  higher  commanders 
and  confidentially. 


52  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

6.  Avoid  negatives.  "  The  reserves  will  not  be  moved  forward 
without  further  orders  "  is  unsatisfactory  because  the  meaning  of  the 
order  depends  wholly  on  the  word  not.  Were  it  neglected,  just  the 
wrong  action  must  result. 

7.  Avoid  all  danger  of  misreading.  Indistinct  handwriting  and 
poorly  formed  letters  are  serious  sources  of  danger. 

63.  Models.  —  As  illustrations  of  operation  orders  there  follow 
orders  for  (1)  Relief,  (2)  Trench  Raid,  and  (3)  Trench- to-Trench  Attack. 

1. 

Battalion.  July  — ,  1917. 

ORDER  FOR  RELIEF  NO.  — 

for  the  day  of  July  — ,  1917 

/.   During  the  day  of  July  — ,  Company  B  will  relieve  Company  A  in  the 
supporting  point  at  FRESH  POND. 
II.  PRELIMINARY  RECONNAISSANCE: 

At  11 :  00  A.M.  the  captain  of  Company  B,  accompanied  by  his 
four  platoon  leaders,  by  a  non-commissioned  officer  from  each  platoon, 
and  by  an  "agent  de  liaison,"  will  report  at  the  Battalion  Commander's 
post,  where  he  will  find  a  guide. 

He  will  accomplish  the  necessary  reconnaissance  of  his  sector  and 
will  remain  with  the  captain  of  Company  A. 

The  platoon  leaders  will  reconnoitre  the  sector  assigned  to  their 
platoon  and  will  remain  with  the  leader  of  the  platoon  each  is  reliev- 
ing, except  the  leader  of  the  platoon  in  reserve  who  will  return  to  his 
company  and  will  be  required  to  lead  it  to  the  Battalion  Commander's 
post  at  the  appointed  hour  (1  :  20).  He  will  bring  the  non-commis- 
sioned officers  with  him  after  the  reconnaissance  of  their  respective 
sectors.  The  non-commissioned  officers  should  be  assembled  at  the 
captain's  post  at  the  hour  determined  by  the  latter  (12  :  00). 
III.   GUIDES: 

Each  platoon  commander  of  Company  A  will  send  a  guide  to  the 


OPERATION  ORDERS  53 

Battalion  Commander's  post  to  bring  the  corresponding  platoon  to 
the  relieving  company. 

The  guides  should  be  present  at  the  Battalion  Commander's  post  at 
1:15. 
IV.  RELIEF: 

The  leading  portion  of  Company  B  will  be  present  at  the  Battalion 
Commander's  post  at  1  :  20.     It  will  be  in  the  following  order : 

1.  Section  relieving  salient  A. 

2.  Section  relieving  salient  B. 

3.  Section  relieving  the  centre. 

4.  Section  relieving  the  reserve. 
,  V.  PROCEDURE: 

The  platoon  from  Company  B  relieving  in  the  salient  A  shall  gain 
access  by  boyau  No.  1.  The  platoon  relieved  will  leave  by  the  same 
boyau. 

The  platoon  relieving  the  centre  will  arrive  by  boyau  No.  2  and 
will  take  the  right  branch.  The  platoon  relieved  will  leave  by  the 
left  branch. 

The  platoon  relieving  the  right  will  arrive  by  boyau  No.  3.  The 
platoon  being  relieved  will  wait  until  the  whole  of  the  relieving  platoon 
is  in  its  position,  and  will  then  leave  by  the  same  boyau. 

The  platoon  in  reserve  will  enter  the  redoubt  by  the  left.     The 
platoon  being  relieved  will  fold  back  on  the  right. 
VI.    TRANSMISSION  OF  INFORMATION  GIVEN   TO   THE  RE- 
LIEVING OFFICER  BY  THE  OFFICER  RELIEVED  AND 
OF  MATERIEL: 

Such  information  given  by  companies  and  platoons  will  be  oral,  not 
written.     A  duplicate  will  be  sent  by  the  section  leaders  to  the  cap- 
tains, and  by  the  captains  to  the  Battalion  Commanders. 
VII.  REPORT:  ^ 

A  report  of  the  relief  and  of  the  occupation  will  be  sent  to  the  Bat- 
talion Commander  immediately  at  the  completion  of  the  operation. 

The  Battalion  Commander. 


54  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

ORDERS  ISSUED  FOR  A    TRENCH  RAID 

by  a  Company  Commander 

Company  A  of  the  — th  Infantry  Regiment  will  execute  a  raid  on  the 
enemy  strongpoint  situated  between  BOSTON  Trench,  SHELBY  Trench, 
and  KENTUCKY  C.  T.     [See  map  on  pp.  58-59.] 
OBJECT : 

Capture  prisoners.  Destroy  dugouts  in  BOSTON  Trench  near  KEN- 
TUCKY C.  T.  and  in  SHELBY  Trench.  Destroy  trench  mortar  em- 
placement in  the  strongpoint. 


The  raid  will  be  made  by  1  officer,  4  sergeants,  5  corporals,  and  6Q  privates 
divided  into  4  parties ;   (9  groups). 

Composition  and  Mission  of  Parties 
PARTY  I: 

1  sergeant  in  command,  1  corporal,  14  men  including  1  automatic  rifle 
crew  with  gun. 

Group  A  :  1  corporal,  5  privates. 

Group  B  :  1  sergeant,  9  privates  comprising  1  A.  R. 

MISSION  :  Start  from  JOFFRE  Trench  at  point  indicated  on  map.  Go 
through  the  enemy's  destroyed  barbed  wire  at  point  P. 

Penetrate  into  German  trench  at  point  indicated  on  map  and  proceed 
to  the  intersection  of  INDIANA  C.  T.  and  LIBERTY  Trench. 

There  Group  A  will  barricade  LIBERTY  Trench  25  metres  beyond 
INDIANA  C.  T.  and  resist  in  this  location  against  any  counter  attack  which 
might  spring  up  on  the  right  and  try  to  come  up  LIBERTY  Trench. 

Group  B  will  proceed  down  INDIANA  C.  T.,  turn  into  BOSTON  Trench 
and  barricade  BOSTON  Trench  at  its  intersection  with  INDIANA  C.  T. 
leading  towards  NEW  YORK  Trench.  There  the  automatic  rifle  will  be 
established  to  cover  the  right  flank  and  the  front  of  the  raiding  parties.  At 
this  point  the  group  will  resist  any  attempt  at  counter  attack  which  might 


OPERATION  ORDERS  55 

spring  up  from  the  rear  through  INDIANA  C.  T.  or  from  the  right  through 
BOSTON  Trench. 

These  two  groups  will  stay  in  place  until  the  signal  for  the  retirement 
of  the  raiding  parties,  which  will  be  given  by  the  oflBcer  commanding  Party  II. 
Group  B  will  then  retire  through  INDIANA  C.  T.,  will  be  joined  in  LIB- 
ERTY Trench  by  Group  A,  and  the  party  will  then  go  back  along  the  same 
route  as  in  the  advance,  keeping  a  very  careful  watch  on  the  right  flank. 
PARTY  II  : 

1  oflScer  in  command,  1  sergeant,  3  corporals,  22  privates  including  3 
rifle  grenadiers. 

Group  C  :  1  corporal,  3  privates,  rifle  grenadiers. 

Group  D  :  1  officer,  1  corporal,  8  privates. 

Group  E  :  1  sergeant,  6  privates. 

Group  F  :  1  corporal,  5  privates. 

MISSION :  Start  from  JOFFRE  Trench  at  point  indicated  on  map. 
Go  through  the  enemy's  destroyed  barbed  wire  at  point  Q. 

Penetrate  into  German  trench  at  point  indicated  on  map  where  four  men 
will  hurriedly  search  the  trench  on  the  right  and  on  the  left  of  KENTUCKY 
C.  T.,  then  follow  the  party  which  wiU  proceed  through  KENTUCKY  C.  T. 
up  to  BOSTON  Trench. 

There  the  groups  will  separate  : 

Group  C  will  stay  at  the  intersection  of  BOSTON  Trench  with  KEN- 
TUCKY C.  T.  From  here  the  rifle  grenadiers  can  cover  by  their  fire  the 
front  of  the  raiding  parties  as  well  as  both  flanks.  They  will  act  in  case  of 
need  in  the  direction  of  any  counter  attack  the  enemy  might  undertake. 

Group  D  will  proceed  to  the  right  in  BOSTON  Trench,  then  down 
SHELBY  Trench  where  the  trench  mortar  emplacement  and  the  dugout 
will  be  mopped  up.     These  two  dugouts  will  then  be  destroyed. 

Group  J5  will  proceed  to  the  left  in  KENTUCKY  C.  T.  and  will  mop  up 
the  dugout  at  the  intersection  of  KENTUCKY  C.  T.  with  BOSTON  Trench. 
This  dugout  will  then  be  destroyed. 

Group  F  will  proceed  immediately  down  KENTUCKY  C.  T.  and  es- 
tablish a  barricade  at  its  intersection  with  SHELBY  Trench.  There  it  will 
stay  to  resist  any  counter  attack  which  might  spring  up  from  the  rear. 


56  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

The  officer  commanding  the  raiding  party  will  give  the  signal  of  retire- 
ment when  he  sees  fit  or  when  his  mission  is  accomplished,  and  will  assemble 
his  groups  for  a  retirement  through  KENTUCKY  C.  T.  along  the  same 
route  as  that  followed  in  the  advance. 
PARTY  III  : 

1  sergeant  in  command,  1  corporal,  14  privates  including  1  automatic 
rifle  crew  with  gun. 

Group  G  :  1  corporal,  5  privates. 

Group  H  :  1  sergeant,  9  privates  including  1  A.  R. 

MISSION:  Start  from  JOFFRE  Trench  at  point  indicated  on  map. 
Go  through  the  enemy's  destroyed  barbed  wire  at  point  R. 

Penetrate  into  German  trench  at  point  indicated  on  map  and  proceed 
to  the  intersection  of  LIBERTY  Trench  with  WEST  VIRGINIA  C.  T. 

There  Group  G  will  barricade  LIBERTY  Trench  25  metres  beyond 
WEST  VIRGINIA  C.  T.  and  resist  in  this  location  any  counter  attack 
which  the  enemy  might  launch  on  the  left  through  LIBERTY  Trench. 

Group  H  will  continue  down  WEST  VIRGINIA  C.  T.,  turn  into  BOSTON 
Trench,  and  barricade  BOSTON  Trench  10  metres  to  the  left  of  WEST  VIR- 
GINIA C.  T.  and  barricade  also  this  C.  T.  leading  towards  the  rear  20  metres 
beyond  BOSTON  Trench.  (See  map.)  These  barricades  will  be  held  against 
all  counter  attacks  which  might  spring  up  from  the  rear  or  from  the  left. 
The  automatic  rifle  will  be  established  at  this  point  to  cover  the  left  flank 
and  the  front  of  the  raiding  parties. 

These  two  groups  will  stay  in  place  until  the  signal  for  the  retirement  of 
the  raiding  parties,  which  will  be  given  by  the  officer  commanding  Party  11. 
Group  H  will  then  retire  through  WEST  VIRGINIA  C.  T.,  will  be  joined 
in  LIBERTY  Trench  by  Group  G,  and  the  party  will  then  go  back  along 
the  same  route  as  followed  in  the  advance,  keeping  a  very  careful  watch  on 
the  left  flank. 
PARTY  IV  : 

Group  I  :  1  sergeant  in  command,  10  privates,  including  two  automatic 
rifle  crews  with  guns. 

MISSION :  Start  from  JOFFRE  Trench  at  point  indicated  on  map ; 
deploy  into  small  groups  covering  whole  width  of  raid;  these  groups  will 


OPERATION  ORDERS  57 

take  up  positions  between  the  two  trenches  at  about  60  metres  in  front  of 
our  own  barbed  wire.  The  two  A.  R.  will  be  placed  on  the  flanks  and  pro- 
tected by  bombers. 

This  group  will  remain  in  place  and  support  in  case  of  need  the  retire- 
ment of  the  raiding  party.  It  will  retire  itself  only  after  the  three  other 
groups  have  passed  on  their  way  back. 


Routes  of  the  different  groups  are  marked  on  the  map. 


LIAISON  : 

The  different  groups  will  strive  to  be  in  constant  liaison  one  with  the 
othet^    This  liaison  is  to  be  specially  cared  for  on  arriving  in  LIBERTY 
Trench  and  in  BOSTON  Trench. 
STARTING  OF   THE  GROUPS  ; 

At  H  less  10  each  party  will  start  from  JOFFRE  Trench,  and  stopping 
in  front  of  our  own  barbed  wire,  will  send  two  men  to  verify  the  gaps  in  the 
enemy's  barbed  wire.  These  men  will  have  wire  cutters  to  complete  these 
gaps  if  necessar3\     Group  I  will  not  send  any  wire  cutters. 

At  the  hour  H  the  parties  will  start  off  from  their  emplacements  in  front 
of  our  barbed  wire. 
PREPARATION  : 

The  raid  is  to  be  preceded  by  a  violent  artillery  preparation  of  light  and 
heavy  artillery  on  the  raided  point  and  on  NEW  YORK  Trench. 

STOKES  MORTAR  :  4  batteries  will  take  part  in  the  preparation; 
2  concentrating  their  fire  on  the  strongpoint,  one  on  WEST  VIRGINIA 
C.  T.,  one  on  INDIANA  C.  T. 

At  H  plus  1  the  artillery  will  gradually  lengthen  its  range  and  establish 
its  fire  behind  the  strongpoint  in  the  ravine  and  on  NEW  YORK  Trench. 
The  Stokes  mortars  will  transfer  their  fire  to  the  flanks  and  help  on  the 
flanks  of  the  box  barrage. 

ONE-POUNDER  GUN  :  1  gun  will  take  part  in  the  preparation.  Its 
fire  will  be  directed  on  machine  gun  emplacement  in  MISSISSIPPI  C.  T. 
on  the  crest  50  metres  in  front  of  NEW  YORK  Trench.     Its  emplace- 


I . ' 


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llliiUJJ-'-- 


V-J-" 


Bex  BaYrd.«e 


DIAGRAM 


60  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

ment  shall  be  chosen  so  as  to  allow  the  continuation  of  its  fire  during  the 
raid. 

RIFLE  GRENADES  :  From  H  less  5  until  H,  twenty  rifle  grenadiers 
of  the  company  will  execute  a  fire  of  concentration  beginning  by  a  slow  fire 
gradually  increasing  in  violence.  These  rifle  grenadiers  will  be  divided  into 
four  groups;  the  first  firing  on  WEST  VIRGINIA  C.  T.,  the  second  on 
KENTUCKY  C.  T.,  the  third  on  INDIANA  C.  T.,  the  fourth  on  MISSIS- 
SIPPI C.  T.,  between  LIBERTY  and  BOSTON  Trenches. 
EQUIPMENT  : 

Assault  equipment  without  pack. 

Each  man  will  carry  12  grenades.     Six  men  of  the  central  party  carrying 
6  suffocating  and  incendiary  grenades. 

Each  group  of  the  central  party  having  dugouts  to  destroy  will  carry 
necessary  quantity  of  high  explosive. 

Each  automatic  rifle  will  have  600  rounds.     The  carriers  of  the  A.  R. 
crews  will  also  have  6  grenades. 

Groups  A,  B,  F,  G,  and  H  will  carry  coils  of  Ribard  wire  entanglement 
to  constitute  their  barricades. 

The  men  before  starting  will  take  off  all  parts  of  their  uniform  or  equip- 
ment which  might  help  identify  them. 

No  papers  shall  be  carried  on  the  men. 

All  members  of  the  raiding  party  will  carry  a  white  band  around  left  arm. 
INFORMATION   TO  BE   OBTAINED  : 

The  identity  of  the  enemy's  troops  before  us  must  be  ascertained.     The 
raiding  party  will  strive  to  take  prisoners ;    these  shall  be  escorted  back  to 
JOFFRE  Trench  as  soon  as  taken.     The  bodies  of  dead  enemies  shall  be 
searched  and  identified  if  possible. 
NO  MAN  OF  RAIDING  PARTY,  WOUNDED  OR  DEAD,  SHALL  BE 

LEFT  IN  ENEMY'S  LINES. 
DATE  AND  HOUR  OF  RAID  : 

To  be  given  later. 
SIGNAL  OF  RETIREMENT  : 

2  green  one-star  rockets  sent  off  in  quick  succession  by  the  officer  com- 
manding raiding  party. 


OPERATION  ORDERS  61 

REESTABLISHMENT  OF  DEFENSIVE  BARRAGE  : 

As  soon  as  the  raiding  parties  have  arrived  back  into  JOFFRE  Trench, 

3  red  one-star  rockets  will  be  sent  off  at  an  interval  of  5  seconds  between 
each.  Our  artillery  will  then  immediately  set  down  the  defensive  barrage 
before  and  on  the  German  first  line. 

DRESSING  STATION: 

A  first-aid  dressing  station  is  established  in  dugout  X  in  JOFFRE  Trench. 

4  stretcher  bearers  will  be  on  duty  during  the  operation  in  JOFFRE  Trench 
on  the  emplacement  of  departure  of  the  raiding  party. 

3 

PLAN  OF  ENGAGEMENT  —  FOR  A  TRENCH-TO-TRENCH 
ATTACK  BY  A  BATTALION,  AFTER  ARTILLERY  PREPA- 
RATION 

Information  of  the  Enemy.     (See  map  of  Enemy's  Sector  [on  next  page].) 

The  enemy  occupies  a  first  position,  consisting  of  a  lookout  parallel 
(Bremen  Trench),  a  main  parallel  (Breslau  Trench),  a  doubling  parallel 
(Brandenburg  Trench),  and  a  support  parallel  (supposed  behind  railroad 
line  Chateaugay  branch)  —  general  direction  of  the  enemy  —  N.  E.  —  S.  W. 
General  Situation. 

Mission  of  the  Division.  —  The  Division  attacks  and  carries  the  three 
first  parallels  in  a  sector  limited  by  a  line  of  coordinates  300  yards  on  the 
right  and  parallel  to  Peru  Road  and  a  line  of  coordinates  600  yards  on  the 
left  and  parallel  to  Peru  Road. 

Mission  of  the  Regiment.  —  Same  as  for  the  Division  in  a  sector  hmited 
by  Peru  Road  on  the  right  and  on  the  left  by  a  line  of  coordinates  300  yards 
on  the  left  and  parallel  to  Peru  Road. 

The  Regiment  will  attack  with  one  Battalion  in  front  and  the  others 
behind  echeloned  in  depth. 

Mission  of  the  Battalion.  —  1st  assaulting  Battalion  of  the  Regiment  is 
reenforced  by  two  machine  gun  platoons  (supposed)  and  one  platoon  of 
Engineers    (supposed).     This   Battalion   will   carry   Bremen,   Breslau,  and 


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OPERATION  ORDERS  63 

Brandenburg  trenches,  establishing  its  advanced  posts  so  as  to  have  view 
on  the  enemy's  support  parallel. 

This  Battalion  will  leave  the  jumping-off  trenches  at  Zero  hour  (3  o'clock) 
and  carry  its  objectives  in  one  rush.  A  white  rocket  will  give  the  signal  of 
departure. 

Mission  of   Neighboring    Units.  —  Same.     Regiment   M   on    the   right 
(N.  W.)  —  Regiment  N  on  the  left  (S.  E.). 
Mission  of  Each  Company. 

1st  Company  (Right  assaulting) : 
Carry  trenches  Bremen,  Breslau,  Brandenburg  in  a  sector  limited  by : 
Right  (N.  W.)  —  Peru  Road.     Left  (S.  E.)  —  Braunschweig  communicating 
trench. 

2d  Company  (Left  assaulting) : 
Carry  same  trenches  in  a  sector  limited  by  :   Right  (N.  W.)  —  Braun- 
schweig communicating  trench.     Left  (S.  E.)  —  left  limit  of  the  battalion. 

3d  Company  (Right  support)  :   minus  one  platoon  detailed  for  mop- 
ping up  will  support  1st  Company  and  insure  liaison  with  Regiment  M. 

4th  Company  (Left  support)  :  minus  one  platoon  detailed  for  carry- 
ing party  will  support  2d  Company  and  insure  liaison  with  Regiment  N. 
Distribution  of  the  Battalion  for  the  Attack. 
(See  diagram  on  next  page.) 
Speed  of  the  March. 

The  Artillery  creeping  barrage  will  precede  the  Infantry  at  the  rate  of 
100  yards  in  3  minutes. 

It  will  be  fixed  at  Zero  hour  plus  15  minutes  100  yards  S.  W.  of  Bran- 
denburg trench. 

Code  of  Signals  Used. 

1  red  rocket  —  Ask  for  artillery  barrage. 
1  green  rocket  —  The  enemy  counter  attacks. 

1  white  rocket  —  I  am  ready  to  advance  or  counter  attack  repulsed. 
Liaison.  —  The  liaisons  by  telephone,  T.  P.  S.,  signalling  lamps,  and  relay 
posts  of  runners  should  be  organized  immediately  after  the  objective  is 
reached  between  the  captured  trenches  and  the  rear.     Signalling  panels  will 
be  used  for  indicating  the  position  of  the  troops  to  the  airplanes. 


1%» 


vS 

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^ 


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,0  * 


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0 


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5 

5 

c 


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rx^f.^^^^ 


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Disposition  of  a  Battalion  for  the  Attack. 
DIAGRAM  III 


64 


!<      §     ^ 


4  ? 


Ki 


DIAGRAM  III 


65 


66  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

Consolidation  of  the  Conquered  Ground. 

1st  and  2d  Companies  reenforced  by  one  platoon  of  3d  and  one  platoon 
of  4th  Company  will  reverse  Bremen,  Breslau,  and  Brandenburg  trenches, 
reorganize  the  new  position,  reestablishing  3  communication  trenches  be- 
tween Bremen  and  Brandenburg  trenches. 

All  auto-riflemen  and  V.  B.  Grenadiers  will  be  pushed  to  the  new  front 
line  for  protection  against  enemy's  counter  attacks. 

The  rest  of  3d  and  4th  Companies  will  dig  two  communicating  trenches 
between  Bremen  trench  and  the  rear. 

New  Commanding  posts  of  Captains  commanding  1st  and  2d  Com- 
panies in  Bremen  trenches. 

New  Commanding  post  of  Battalion  Commander  in  jumping-off  trench. 

First-aid  station  between  Battalion  C.  P.  and  the  road. 
Equipment  of  the  Men.  —  Besides  weapons  and  ammunition,  each  man 
will  carry  one  tool,  2  sand  bags,  an  extra  canteen,  2  gas  masks  —  no  packs ; 
but  tents  around  the  shoulders. 


EXERCISES 

1 .  Write  an  order  for  a  regiment  to  advance  through  hostile  country  when 
expecting  contact  with  a  small  body  of  enemy  cavalry. 

2.  Write  an  order  for  a  halt  for  the  night  in  the  case  of  a  detachment. 

3.  Write  an  order  for  outposts. 

4.  Why  is  the  item  of  "information  concerning  the  enemy"  missing  in 
the  order  for  a  Trench  Raid  ? 

5.  Criticise  the  form  of  the  order  for  a  Trench- to-Trench  Attack  in 
the  light  of  the  order  for  a  Trench  Raid. 

6.  Write  an  order  providing  for  the  disposition  of  your  battalion  for  a 
Trench-to-Trench  Attack. 

7.  Write  a  company  order  providing  the  details  for  a  Relief  of  a  com- 
pany occupying  the  Liberty-Boston-New  York  Trenches,  pp.  58-59. 

8.  Write  an  order  for  a  Raid  on  the  Bremen-Breslau-Brandenburg 
Trenches,  p.  62. 


CHAPTER  VII 
FIELD   MESSAGES 

64.  The  Messenger.  —  In  the  course  of  modern  combat  there  is 
Httle  room  for  the  picturesque  figure  of  a  panting  messenger  on  foam- 
ing charger  aUghting  with  his  despatch.  When  telephones  are  carried 
forward  with  the  assault,  and  rockets  and  flag  signals  and  pigeons 
afford  highly  varied  means  of  communication,  the  role  of  the  mes- 
senger is  confined  to  traversing  short  distances.  Yet  the  messenger 
(or  *'  agent  de  liaison  ")  continues  to  be  of  the  first  importance. 
When  the  wires  become  entangled  or  broken,  he  serves  as  the  best 
means  of  liaison  within  and  between  companies  in  or  near  the  front 
line. 

Although  working  within  such  a  restricted  area,  the  messenger  is 
nevertheless  usually  a  bearer  of  written  messages.  Verbal  messages 
are  less  convenient  because  they  must  be  confined  to  a  very  few  words, 
and  very  plain  words.  If  the  reader  will  try  a  simple  experiment  — 
give  a  message,  and  then  question  the  person  to  whom  it  is  sent  — 
he  will  learn  how  easily  words  become  changed  and  the  sense  altered, 
if  not  perverted.  Do  so.  Yet  the  ordinary  conditions  of  life  are 
far  more  favorable  to  correct  message  bearing  than  are  the  turmoil, 
excitements,  and  dangers  of  battle.  Shell  fire  toppling  you  over  tends 
to  obliterate  the  finer  distinctions  of  language.  Therefore,  verbal 
messages  should  rarely  exceed  ten  words.  They  should  rarely  cover 
more  than  two  items.  A  prudent  commander,  under  stress,  will 
write  duplicate  messages,  sending  them  by  different  men  traversing 
different  routes. 

65.  The  Sender.  —  Experience  has  shown  that  a  message,  whether 
written  or  verbal,  gains  first  attention  for  the  nature  of  the  contents, 

67 


68  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  considerations.  It  is  after  the  messenger 
has  gone  that  inquiries  begin  to  arise :  —  who  sent  it,  or  when,  or 
where  was  he  ?  Later  still  comes  the  question,  who  brought  it  ?  The 
French  have  systematized  their  messages  by  five  questions.  They 
prescribe  that  the  writer  of  each  message  shall  assure  himself  that  he 
has  answered  the  questions  :  "  Qui  ?  Quand  ?  Ou  ?  Comment  ? 
Que?"  That  is  to  say:  Who?  When?  Where?  How? 
What  ?  In  like  manner,  the  American  soldier  can  make  certain  that 
his  message  will  be  understood  if  he  answers  the  questions  :  Who  is 
writing  ?  What  is  the  exact  time  of  writing  ?  What  is  the  place  ? 
tlow  is  the  message  being  sent  (telephone,  runner,  etc.)  ?  Just 
what  have  you  to  say  ? 

66.  Field  Message  Blank.  —  The  American  Field  Message  Blank, 
an  example  of  which  may  be  seen  photographed  on  page  69,  is  ad- 
mirably designed  to  insure  answers  to  these  questions.  The  blank 
squares  challenge  the  writer's  attention  and  automatic  compliance 
as  if  they  were  words  of  command.  The  headings  Frorriy  At,  Date, 
Hour,  To,  No.,  How  sent,  insure  some  kind  of  response :  they  do 
not  insure  a  correct  response.  And  here  the  value  of  practising  the 
writing  of  field  messages  first  becomes  clear. 

67.  Heading.  —  The  untutored  writer  would  as  likely  as  not  fill 
in  the  blank  space  after  From  by  writing  his  own  name.  This  he 
should  not  do.  As  in  an  official  letter,  he  should  write  the  name  of  his 
office :    "  6th  Section  Co.  D,  2d  Bg.  M.  G.  Bn." 

68.  To.  —  Similarly  after  To  he  should  write  the  name  of  the 
office  addressed :  **  C.  O.  Co.  D,  2d  Bg.  M.  G.  Bn."  Thus  in  the 
event  of  casualties  the  course  of  the  message  will  in  no  wise  be  con- 
fused, and  a  new  commander  receiving  the  message  of  a  new  section 
leader  will  place  it  correctly  despite  the  fact  that  they  may  be  un- 
known to  each  other  by  name.  Observe,  however,  that  secrecy  is 
preserved  regarding  items  which  might  be  of  value  to  the  enemy. 


Photographed  from  the  original. 


70  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

Were  the  message  captured  it  would  not  disclose  the  division  or 
army  corps  —  facts  which  might  be  of  some  service  to  the  enemy 
strategy.  Precisely  similar  considerations  govern  the  address  which 
follows  the  printed  word  To. 

69.  At.  —  After  the  printed  word  At  should  appear  a  designation 
of  place  which  will  reveal  to  friends  the  precise  location,  and  yet  will 
be  as  a  rule  unintelligible  to  the  enemy.     For  example  : 

Intersection  of  Communication  Trench  on  old  front  line. 

P.  C.  Intersection  of  C.  T.  and  old  front  line  trench. 

Transport  P.  C. 

P.  C.  18th  Infantry  M.  G.  Co. 

At  edge  of  Bois  St.  Eloi.     Where  gun  57  was  located. 

Strong  Point  No.  3. 

Petit  Troissy. 

Old  front  line. 

Such  hints  clearly  suffice  for  persons  who  possess  minute  trench  maps 
and  are  familiar  with  the  local  and  transitory  names  which  vivify  a 
system  of  trenches.  See  the  maps  accompanying  the  orders  for  a 
Trench  Raid  and  a  Trench-to-Trench  Attack,  pp.  58  and  62, 

70.  The  date  and  hour  should  be  filled  in  precisely.  Place  the 
month  name  between  the  figures  of  day  and.  year,  as  "  7  June  17." 
The  year  is  often  omitted.  State  whether  the  hour  is  a.m.  or  p.m.  ; 
if  noon  or  midnight,  write  out  the  word  noon  or  midnight.  A  des- 
patch rapidly  changes  significance  as  the  interval  increases  between 
writing  and  delivery. 

71.  The  number  for  filing  is  important  because  by  this  means 
the  failure  of  an  intermediate  message  to  arrive  becomes  evident 
from  the  gap  in  the  numbers.  Needless  to  say,  Field  Message  Books 
are  furnished  with  carbons,  so  that  the  writer  has  his  duplicates  to 
show  in  reconstructing  and  criticising  the  course  of  an  engagement. 


FIELD  MESSAGES  71 

72.  How  Sent.  —  The  last  formality  of  the  heading  How  Sent 
is  perhaps  not  so  well  phrased  as  were  it  to  read  "  By  Whom  Sent." 
The  Field  Message  Book  form  shows  that  it  comes  by  runner  or  mes- 
senger, and  safeguards  any  chance  of  subsequently  confusing  it  with 
telegrams,  jottings  of  telephone  messages,  signals,  airplane  messages, 
etc.  The  average  Field  Message,  however,  reads  simply  "  Runner  '* 
or  "  Messenger,"  and  only  occasionally  "  Mess.  Fairbanks,"  "  Lt. 
Redmond,"  '*  Water  Party,"  etc.  Yet  completeness  and  accounta- 
bility render  a  precise  designation  desirable. 

73.  The  signature  should  by  no  means  be  patterned  after  the 
signature  of  a  letter  or  order.  Rather  it  is  analogous  to  that  of  a 
telegram.  The  commander  of  a  small  unit  presumably  knows  his 
men.  **  Morse  "  or  *'  Lt.  Reed  "  will  suffice.  The  rank  is  service- 
able especially  in  cases  of  change  of  command  —  "  Howard,  Sgt." 
or  "  Corp.  Sanger  "  —  since  it  keeps  the  CO.  posted  regarding  the 
comparative  reliability  of  the  individual  in  charge. 

74.  Examples.  —  The  proper  compliance  with  the  form  of  head- 
ing and  signature  should  be  made  automatic  by  frequent  practice 
just  as  the  execution  of  commands  is  made  instinctive  by  the  dis- 
cipline of  close  order  drill.  Then,  despite  the  pain  of  a  dying  com- 
rade and  amid  the  jar  and  hail  of  enemy  fire,  a  complete  message  will 
be  executed.  In  the  following  message  of  a  platoon  commander, 
written  during  the  Battle  of  Cantigny,  certain  words  are  undecipher- 
able and  the  hour  is  incomplete : 

From  Platoon  Commander  3d  Bat.  Co.  D. 

At.  P.  C.  Intersection  of  C.  T.  &  old  front  line  How  Sent 

Date  29  May  18         Hour.  2 :  40         No.  3  Runner 

To  C  O  Co.  D  2d  Bg  M.  G.  Bn. 

No  heavy  shelling  during  night.  No  sniping.  Wounded  being  carried 
to  Batt  first-aid.     We  are  now  in  front  line.     Co.  L  fell  back  to  old  front 


i 


t    <»  ^  <»  o 


't 


FIELD  MESSAGES  73 

line  or  rather  2d  jumping  off  trench.     Co.  I  is  now  holding  front  lines  on 

left  flank.     Corp.  J returned  to  this  place  and- his  gun  has  been  placed 

in  rear  of  front  line  75  yds  on  C.  T.  trench  and  .  .  .  cover  this  entire  left 
flank  of  sector.     Several  men  reported  .  .  .  have  returned  to  us  safe. 

Lt.  R 

This  message  is  commendable  in  that  its  sentences  are  short. 
It  is  faulty,  however,  in  three  points  : 

(1)  The  needless  confusion  of  the  fifth  sentence. 

(2)  The  vagueness  of  '*  several  "  in  the  last  sentence. 

(3)  Failure  to  organize  the  material  in  definite  paragraph  units. 
Observe  how  the  casualties,  disposition  of  material,  news  of  near 
units,  and  report  of  firing  are  confused  without  order  or  division. 
As  an  exercise,  rewrite  the  message  with  suitable  rearrangement  and 
paragraphing.  Compare  with  it  the  following  excellent  message 
and  the  explanatory  sketch  sent  on  the  back  of  the  Field  Message 
Blank.     (See  diagram  on  the  opposite  page.) 

From  2d  Platoon  Co.  D. 

At  Strong  Point  No.  3  .  How  Sent 

Date  May  28,  1918  Hour  7 :  15  a.m.  No.  1  Lt.  R 

To  C.  O.  Co.  D  —  M.  G.  Co.  3d  Bn. 

1.  All  guns  in  position. 

2.  Have  2572  romids  am.  per  gun. 

3.  Pvt.  L wounded  in  shoulder  by  M.  G.  fire  coming  over  top. 

4.  Strong  Point  East  Side  of  Cantigny  Cemetery. 

5.  Position  of  guns  and  line  of  fire.  See  sketch  on  back.  Position  of 
guns  at  present  are  indicated  by  two  arrows.  When  Strong  Point  is  dug 
position  of  guns  will  be  as  indicated  by  one  arrow  to  show  field  of  fire. 

M 

Lt.    _ 


Photographed  from  the  original. 


FIELD  MESSAGES  75 

This  message  deserves  commendation.  Paragraph  5  recurs  to 
the  subject  of  Paragraph  1  and  elaborates  it  since  time  permits. 
Since  the  platoon  has  just  taken  position,  no  information  of  the 
enemy  can  be  expected.  Certainly  these  conditions  are  more  favorable 
than  those  reported. by  Lt.  R for  the  preparation  of  a  method- 
ical report ;  but  Lt.  M ,  under  conditions  even  more  unfavorable, 

clings  to  his  thoroughness  and  system. 

From  2d  Platoon 

At  Strong  Point  No.  3.  How  sent 

Date  May  28,  1918  Hour  9.00  p.m.     No.  1  Mess.  F 

To  C.  O.  Co.  D. 

1.  Eleven  or  twelve  of  my  men  have  been  wounded  or  killed  and  sent  in. 
Balance  are  about  in  a  state  of  nervous  collapse  from  continuous  shelling 
with  large  H.  E.  None  are  fit  to  put  up  a  good  fight  at  present.  Have 
worked  them  hard  on  the  Strong  Point. 

2.  I  was  knocked  crazy  by  shell  fire.  Have  slight  cut  across  wrist  from 
piece  of  shell.     Will  send  in  another  report  later. 

M 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  preceding  messages  were  WTitten  in 
the  course  of  combat.  But  before  an  engagement  begins  it  is 
necessary  to  inform  the  higher  command  that  all  is  in  readiness. 
Shortly  after  a  unit  has  taken  position  in  the  front  line  trenches 
relieving  another  unit,  each  captain  will  send  to  his  battalion  com- 
mander a  plan  of  defence  containing  the  following  paragraphs : 

1.  Situation:  Position  occupied  by  his  company  and  the  distribution 
of  his  effectives.  Position  of  the  automatic  rifles  (each  platoon  should  have 
four),  and  positions  where  machine  guns  may  be  placed. 

2.  Security :    Measures  taken  and  how  carried  into  effect. 

3.  Liaisons:    How  assured,  both  laterally  and  in  depth. 

4.  State  of  the  position  as  left  by  his  predecessor  :  Work  to  be  done  and 
in  course  of  construction,  beginning  with  the  most  urgent ;  and  accompanied 


76  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

by  suggestions  for  the  improvement  and  further  construction  and  strengthen- 
ing of  the  works. 

5.  Defence  of  his  sector,  bearing  in  mind  the  purpose  of  his  command; 
namely,  to  resist  in  his  line  as  long  ?s  possible. 

G.  Plan  of  the  counter  attack,  in  case  the  enemy  should  succeed  in  gaining 
a  foothold  in  his  first  line  or  in  part  of  it. 

A  map  ^  will  also  be  sent  with  this  report.  It  should  be  drawn 
to  a  scale  of  1  inch-100  feet,  properly  oriented,  and  with  the  direc- 
tion of  the  enemy  indicated.  The  boundaries  of  the  sector  held 
by  any  one  company  and  the  points  of  junction  with  the  sector 
held  by  neighboring  companies  should  be  clearly  indicated. 

75.  Message  Form.  —  The  training  of  new  officers  in  the  sub- 
stance of  Field  Messages  is  more  imperative  than  training  in  their 
form.  When  writing  they  will  tend  to  note  the  points  which  most 
concern  them,  losing  sight  of  the  need  of  information  at  higher  com- 
mand posts.  They  omit  an  item  —  such  as  news  of  other  units  — 
when  that  news  seems  commonplace.  For  this  purpose  a  message 
form  for  use  in  training  has  been  devised  and  used  in  divisional 
schools.  The  reader  should  study  this  form  and  should  repeatedly 
practise  filling  it  out  in  connection  with  problems  for  small  units. 


MESSAGE  FORM 


To: 

1.   I  am  at 


No. 


(Note  :  Either  give  map  reference 
or  mark  your  position  by  an  "X" 
on  the  map  on  back.) 

2.  I  hi,,ve  reached  limits  of  my  objective. 

3.  My  <  p  >  is  at and  is  consolidating. 

^  The  maps  in  use  on  the  western  front  have  French  map  signs  which  may  be  seen 
in  Whittem  and  Long's  French  for  Soldiers,  Cambridge,  1917,  pp.  92-94. 


FIELD  IVIESSAGES  77 

4.  My  <  p  >  is  at and  has  consolidated. 

5.  Am  held  up  by  <  J:,  ^      '     '  >  at (Place  where  you  are). 

6.  Enemy  holding  strongpoint 

7.  I  am  in  touch  with ^"  1  T   ft     I   ^^ 

8.  I  am  not  in  touch  with ^^  1  T   ft 

9.  Am  shelled  from 

10.  Am  in  need  of : 

11.  Counter  attack  forming  at 

({a)  Battery  1 

12.  Hostile  I  (b)  Machine  Gun    f  active  at 

[  (c)   Trench  Mortar  J 

13.  Reenforcements  wanted  at 

14.  I  estimate  my  present  strength  at rifles. 

15.  Add  any  other  useful  information  here : 

Name 

Platoon 

Time M.         Company 

Date 1917.     Battalion 


(A)  Carry  no  maps  or  papers  which  may  be  of  value  to  the  enemy. 

(B)  Give  no  information  if  captured,  except  the  following,  which  you  are 
bound  to  give : 

Name  and  Rank 

(C)  Collect  all  captured  maps  and  papers  and  send  them  in  at  once. 

Among  the  items  called  for  in  15,  the  supply  of  ammunition, 
arrangements  for  field  of  fire,  report  of  casualties  with  disposition  of 
men,  and  news  of  neighboring  units  are  important.  No  form  could 
readily  be  devised  which  would  clearly  suggest  all  the  items  which 
differing  conditions  render  desirable.     The  purpose  of  such  forms 


78  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

is  not  to  extend  the  domain  of  literalness  and  red  tape.  It  is  to  sug- 
gest observation  and  reflection.  That  very  different  items  will  often 
be  called  for  can  be  seen  in  the  following  message : 

From  6th  Section  Co.  D  2d  Bg  M.  G.  Bn 

At  P.  C.  intersection  of  T.  C.  &  old  front  line  trench  How  Sent 

Date  28  May  18  Hour  11  :  50  No.  2  Runner 

To  C.  O.  Co.  D  2d  Bg  M.  G.  Bn 

Two  guns  in  position  5th  Section.     Guns  out  of  action.     1st  message 
sent  at  8 :  05.     Wire  was  not  broken  down  and  our  first  waves  bunched  to 

get  through  and  an  enemy  machine  got  an  .  .  .  fire  on  our  line.     J and 

P had  guns  momited  just  in  front  of  wire  but  by  orders  of  Lt.  M s 

were  moved  forward  and  this  is  when  the  men  were  lost.     Pvt.  G as 

Inf.  amm.  carrier  wounded. 

(Second  Sheet)       ' 

From  6th  Section  Co.  D  2d  Bg  M.  G.  Bn. 

To  C.  O.  Co.  D.  2d  Bg  M.  G.  Bn.  How  Sent 

Runner 
Amt  of  ammunition  on  hand     5184  at  this  position     all  gone  at  5th 
Section. 

Lt.  M s  wounded  in  action. 

Lt.  R 

EXERCISES 

1.  Copy  message  of  Lt.  M (p.  73)  on  a  blank  at  end  of  book. 

2.  Write  field  messages  for  occasions  arising  from  the  orders  and  exer- 
cises of  Ch.  VI,  or  from  the  reports  on  pp.  85-89. 

3.  Timely  exercises  may  be  based  on  the  situations  in  Lt.  E.  Colby's 
Small  Problems  for  Trench  Warfare,  Fort  Leavenworth,  1918. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
REPORTS 

76.  The  Report  Follows  Action.  —  ^Vheneve^  troops  have  been 
sent  upon  a  mission,  or  a  single  oflScer  or  soldier  has  been  charged 
with  a  special  duty,  the  commander  will  expect  a  report.  This  re- 
port may  be  merely  a  verbal  statement  consisting  of  a  few  words, 
as  "  Sir,  Lieutenant  Gleason  is  absent  from  quarters  and  not  expected 
to  return  till  evening."  Or  it  may  extend  to  a  minute  account  of 
extended  operations,  covering  many  thousand  words  and  supple- 
mented by  a  considerable  variety  of  lists,  diagrams,  maps,  and  evi- 
dential documents.  Under  the  head  of  Military  Correspondence  an 
example  of  reporting  for  duty  shows  the  brief  style.  The  report 
presents,  as  regards  composition,  no  new  feature  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  letter  and  the  message.  Like  the  former  it  is  usually  pre- 
pared in  hours  or  moments  of  comparative  leisure.  The  order 
precedes  action ;  the  message  occurs  in  the  course  of  action ;  the 
report  follows  action. 

77.  Value  of  Plan.  —  Even  in  a  very  extended  report  the  letter 
form  serves  as  a  natural  medium.  Here  the  principle  of  organiza- 
tion so  much  insisted  on  for  the  shorter  units  of  correspondence, 
orders,  and  messages,  is  even  more  necessary  if  the  writer  hopes  that 
his  account  will  be  intelligently  followed,  and  that  the  achievements 
which  he  records  will  be  duly  recognized.  The  technique  of  exposi- 
tion, as  usually  taught  in  composition  courses,  applies  here  without 
variation,  and  should  be  insisted  on  with  full  emphasis. 

79 


80  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

There  should  be  at  the  outset  of  an  extended  report  some  general 
statements  of  the  scope  of  the  operations  ordered  or  planned,  indi- 
cating the  nature  of  the  task,  the  diflBculties  in  the  way,  the  means 
of  accomplishment,  and  in  some  cases  the  results  obtained.  This 
general  summary  prepares  the  reader  by  a  brief  view  of  the  whole. 
When  he  descends  into  particulars,  he  will  already  have  in  mind  the 
perspective.  The  technique,  in  short,  is  that  of  the  journal  which 
prints  first  in  large  type  the  few  most  striking  facts  and  follows  them 
with  a  more  thorough  account.  An  excellent  example  will  be  found 
in  the  introduction,  which  follows,  to  Lieutenant  General  Sir  Stanley 
Maude's  report  of  his  campaign  in  Mesopotamia  which  culminated 
in  the  fall  of  Baghdad. 


GENERAL  HEADQUARTERS, 
MESOPOTAMIAN  EXPEDITIONARY  FORCE. 

10th  April,  1917. 

Sir,  — 

1.  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith  a  report  on  the  operations 
carried  out  by  the  Mesopotamian  Expeditionary  Force  for  the  period  ex- 
tending from  August  28th,  1916,  the  date  upon  which  I  assumed  command 
of  the  Army,  until  March  31st,  1917,  three  weeks  after  the  fall  of  Baghdad. 

2.  The  area  over  which  the  responsibilities  of  the  Army  extended  was 
a  wide  one,  embracing  Falahiyeh,  on  the  Tigris;  Ispahan  (exclusive),  in 
Persia;  Bushire,  on  the  Persian  Gulf;  and  Nasariyeh,  on  the  Euphrates. 
Briefly  put,  the  enemy's  plan  appeared  to  be  to  contain  our  main  forces  on 
the  Tigris,  whilst  a  vigorous  campaign,  which  would  directly  threaten  India, 
was  being  developed  in  Persia.  There  were  indications,  too,  of  an  impend- 
ing move  down  the  Euphrates  towards  Nasariyeh.  To  disseminate  our 
troops  in  order  to  safeguard  the  various  conflicting  interests  involved  would 
have  relegated  us  to  a  passive  defensive  everywhere,  and  it  seemed  clear 


REPORTS  81 

from  the  outset  that  the  true  solution  of  the  problem  was  a  resolute  offensive, 
with  concentrated  forces,  on  the  Tigris,  thus  effectively  threatening  Baghdad, 
the  centre  from  which  the  enemy's  columns  were  operating.  Such  a  stroke 
pursued  with  energy  and  success  would,  it  was  felt,  automatically  relieve 
the  pressure  in  Persia  and  on  the  Euphrates,  and  preserve  quiet  in  all  dis- 
tricts with  the  security  of  which  we  were  charged. 

This  then  was  the  principle  which  guided  the  subsequent  operations, 
which  may  be  conveniently  grouped  into  phases  as  follows  : 

First  :  Preliminary  preparations,  from  August  28th  to  December  12th. 

Second  :  The  consolidation  of  our  position  on  the  Hai,  from  December 
13th  to  January  4th. 

Third  :  The  operations  in  the  Khadairi  Bend,  from  January  5th  to  19th. 

Fourth  :  The  operations  against  the  Hai  salient,  from  January  20th  to 
February  5  th. 

Fifth  :  The  operations  in  the  Dahra  Bend,  from  February  6th  to  16th. 

Sixth  :  The  capture  of  Sannaiyat  and  passage  of  the  Tigris,  from  Febru- 
ary 17th  to  24th. 

Seventh  :  The  advance  on  Baghdad,  from  February  25th  to  March  11th. 

Eighth  :  The  operations  subsequent  to  the  fall  of  Baghdad,  from  March 
12th  to  31st. 


Preliminary  Preparations:  August  28th  to  December  12th 

3.  It  was  of  paramount  importance,  in  view  of  the  approach  of  the 
rainy  season,  that  no  undue  delay  should  take  place  in  regard  to  the  re- 
sumption of  active  operations,  but  before  these  could  be  undertaken  with 
reasonable  prospect  of  success  it  w^s  necessary : 

(a)  To  improve  the  health  and  training  of  the  troops,  who  had  suflPered 
severely  from  the  intense  heat  during  the  summer  months. 

(b)  To  perfect  our  somewhat  precarious  lines  of  communication. 

(c)  To  develop  our  resources. 

(d)  To  amass  reserves  of  supplies,  ammunition,  and  stores  at  the  front. 
It  was  therefore  considered  desirable.  .  .  . 


82  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

The  body  of  Sir  Stanley's  report,^  not  counting  its  addenda, 
amounts  to  considerably  more  than  half  the  pages  of  this  book. 
Yet  his  clearness  in  plan  enables  the  reader  to  keep  in  mind,  through- 
out, the  relation  of  each  part  to  the  general  scheme  of  the  operations. 
Another  example  is  Field  Marshal  Haig's  report  of  the  Battle  of  the 
Somme,  referred  to  on  page  4.  A  man  who  trains  his  mind  so  to  organ- 
ize his  ideas  will  in  the  active  duties  of  campaigning  find  himself  able 
so  to  organize  the  activities  of  the  forces  at  his  disposal.  With  a 
view  to  developing  such  ability  where  it  may  be  found  latent,  the 
instructor  in  composition  will  design  exercises  in  planning  papers 
and  in  analyzing  or  summarizing  masterpieces  of  exposition  —  tasks 
which  the  student  often  thinks  very  laborious.  He  needs  to  be  shown 
clearly  the  purpose  in  view.  It  is  to  teach  him  to  think  methodically^ 
because  if  he  thinks  and  expresses  himself  methodically,  he  will  be 
more  fully  understood  and  will  be  better  able  to  teach  others.  As 
an  officer  his  first  task  is  to  teach  —  to  teach  recruits.  And  he  will 
constantly  have  need  to  explain.  He  must  learn  to  think  by  the 
numbers  so  that  he  can  teach  by  the  numbers.  Nor  is  it  impossible 
that  a  young  officer  who  undertakes  such  lessons  as  these  should  be 
called  upon  to  prepare  extended  reports.  Many  a  man  has  drafted 
documents  which  have  appeared  under  a  more  widely  known  name. 

The  average  young  officer,  however,  will  be  concerned  chiefly 
with  combat  reports  following  actions  of  at  most  a  few  days'  dura- 
tion. On  taking  position  preparatory  to  attack,  or  on  effecting  a 
relief  (change  of  troops  in  front  line  trenches)  he  will  be  expected  to 
send  a  message  —  customarily  but  iinproperly  called  a  '*  report  "  — 

similar  to  that  of  Lieutenant  M on  page  73.     Receipt  of  such 

messages  assures  the  commander  that  all  is  in  readiness  before  his 
signal  or  zero  hour  sets  in  motion  an  attack. 

78.   Daily  Intelligence  Report.  —  The  officer  has  also  to  make 

1  Supplement  to  the  London  Gazette,  10  July,  1917. 


REPORTS 


83 


his  daily  intelligence  report,  affording  information  of  the  enemy  and 
an  account  of  the  work  of  his  command  under  several  prescribed 
heads.  A  sample  form  of  battalion  intelligence  report  is  provided 
in  the  accompanying  illustration. 

The  marginal  specifications  leave  the  writer  little  opportunity 
to  forget  anything  of  importance  and  no  opportunity  to  confuse  his 
material.  Nevertheless,  student  soldiers  should  not  infer  that  they 
will  be  so  safeguarded  at  the  front.  Absence  of  such  forms  under 
combat  conditions  must  be  expected,  and  they  must  have  acquired 
by  practice  the  habit  of  supplying  information  on  the  requisite  points. 


To: 
From : 


Date. 


DAILY 

INTELLIGENCE  SUMMARY 

A.  INFORMATION 

ABOUT  ENEMY 

ACTIVITY 

a.  Artillery 

b.  T.  M. 

• 

c.  M.G. 

d.  Sniping 

e.  Rifle  fire 

MOVEMENT 

AND  CHANGE 
WORK 

[This  form  has  been  condensed.     It  should  be  under- 
stood that  sufficient  space  is  left  for  remarks  against  each 
heading.] 

WIRE 

IDEN'IIIICATION 

RUSES 

GAS 

RETALIATION 

BOMBS  AND 

RIFLE  GRE- 

NADES 

LIGHTS  AND 

' 

SIGNATnS 

84 


MILITARY  ENGLISH 


B.  INFORMATION 

ABOUT  OUR 
OWN  LINES 

a.  Artillery 

b.  T.  M. 

c.  M.  G. 

d.  Sniping 

e.  Rifle  fire 
CASUALTIES  AND 

THEIR  CAUSES 

WEAK  POINTS 
IN  OUR  OWN 
LINES 

RETALIATION 

WORK 

WIRING 

O.  P.'s  &  S.  P.'s 

DETECTED  BY 
ENEMY 

RUSES  AND 
THEIR  RE- 
SULTS 

C.  PATROLS 

a.  Enemy 

b.  Our  own 

D.  REMARKS 

Time 


Signed     Bn.  Intelligence  Officer 
for  O.  C.  Bn. 


79.  Combat  Reports.  —  The  type  of  report  following  an  attack 
of  several  hours'  or  a  few  days'  duration  is  not  precisely  fixed  in  form. 
It  may  be  presented  as  a  diary  (see  the  example  on  page  93) .  It 
may  be,  and  often  is,  submitted  -as  a  rather  extended  field  message 
on  consecutive  Field  Message  Blanks.     One  requirement  should  be 


REPORTS  85 

insisted  on,  and  that  is  that  the  events  be  carefully  arranged  in 
sequence  of  time.  Follow  the  order  of  events  and  the  report 
will  be  clear.  Not  infrequently  an  officer  will  confuse  the  time 
sequence  by  carrying  too  far  along  the  operations  of  one  place. 
Certainly  in  a  complicated  report  of  the  action  of  several  units  the 
details  may  be  thus  arranged :  first,  a  general  account,  then  several 
more  detailed  accounts  of  the  action  of  each  unit.  But  the  units 
must  be  clearly  separated..  And  each  should  be  treated  in  the  chrono- 
logical order  of  events. 

A  report  should  divide  the  action  into  stages^  represented  by  sepa- 
rate paragraphs.  These  stages  usually  correspond  to  periods  of 
time,  as  afternoon  or  night  or  the  duration  of  a  counter  attack  or 
bombardment.  One  paragraph  will  concern  a  departure  for  attack, 
another  the  passage  across  No  Man's  Land,  another  the  immediate 
activities  on  taking  possession  of  the  enemy  front  line  trench. 

Another  principle,  however,  prevents  these  paragraph  divisions 
from  becoming  clearly  fixed.  Some  are  short,  some  are  long,  because 
they  deal  with  matters  of  varying  importance.  The  principle  of  pro- 
portion leads  the  writer  to  say  a  great  deal  perhaps  about  one 
of  these  stages,  and  very  little  about  another.  The  passage  across 
No  Man's  Land  may  be  uneventful,  and  require  but  two  or  three 
lines.  Again,  it  may  be  full  of  incident,  requiring  detail,  or  it  may 
be  a  matter  of  days  with  hold-ups  in  shell  holes,  in  which  case  its 
stages  will  provide  material  for  a  series  of  paragraphs. 

A  normal  and  satisfactory  report  will  be  seen  in  that  of  the  Second 
Platoon  of  Co.  D,  The  action  spoken  of  is  a  part  of  the  offensive 
against  Cantigny,i  May  28,  1918.     Notice  its  clear  division,  its  pre- 

^  The  offensive  against  Cantigny  —  at  the  apex  of  the  German  salient  aimed  at 
Amiens  —  was  the  first  attack  and  capture  of  enemy  territory  in  Europe  by  the  United 
States  Army.  The  attack  was  delivered  at  6 :  45  a.m.,  May  28,  on  a  front  of  one  and 
one-quarter  miles.     The  Americans,  supported  by  French  heavy  guns  and  tanks. 


86  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

cise  detail,  and  firmness  of  spirit.  It  is  customary  for  a  commander, 
whether  in  long  or  short  reports,  of  large  or  small  units,  to  commend 
his  subordinates  who  have  displayed  exceptional  ability  and  courage. 

From  Lt.  M 


At  Petit  Troissy 

Date  6/1/18  How  Sent  —  Personally 

To  C  O  Co.  D.  2d  Brig.  M.  G.  Bn. 

1.  2d  Platoon  Jumped  off  from  crest  of  hill  above  old  Co.  P.  C.  at 
6.45  A.M.  5/28/18.  Strength  of  platoon  9  men  per  gun,  3  Sgts.  &  1  officer. 
Each  gun  carried  2572  rounds  of  amm. 

2.  Formation  —  piece  column  —  30  paces  between  pieces,  5  paces  be- 
tween men. 

3.  Crossed  German  front  line  trench  about  6.50  a.m.     No  Hun  Art.  fire 

to  speak  of,  but  scattered  M.  G.  fire.     Pvt.  L was  wounded  by  M.  G. 

fire  just  before  crossing  our  old  front  line. 

4.  Arrived  at  final  obj.  about  7.05  a.m.  and  immediately  began  to  dig  in 
after  placing  the  4  guns  in  shell  holes  for  defence  of  the  position.  Art.  fire 
began  to  get  heavy  about  7.10.  Nine  men  were  wounded  by  Art.  fire  before 
7.30  and  two  men  killed. 

5.  Position  was  shelled  by  heavy  &  light  H.  E.  continuously  for  2  hrs. 
after  reaching  obj. 

6.  We  were  fairly  well  dug  in  by  10.00  a.m.  but  continued  to  dig  all  dur- 
ing our  time  in  the  line. 

7.  Hun  attempted  two  counter  attacks  afternoon  of  the  28th.  Our 
position  was  under  Hun  Art.  fire  for  4  hrs.  during  first  attack,  and  about 
2  hrs.  during  2d  attack.     Line  held  in  front. 

8.  During  night  were  shelled  by  many  H.  E.  and  "Flying  Pigs."  No 
losses. 

captured  the  fortified  village,  took  200  prisoners,  and  inflicted  severe  losses  on  the 
Huns.  They  rapidly  dug  themselves  in,  and  during  May  29  and  30  repulsed  many 
counter  attacks.  A  full  account  of  this  brilliant  achievement  appeared  in  the  New 
York  Times  Current  History,  July,  1918,  pp.  57  ff. 


REPORTS  87 

9.  Fairly  quiet  morning  of  5/29/18.  He  shelled  position  heavy  during 
afternoon  and  put  down  barrage  on  position  during  his  attempted  counter 
attack.  During  this  time  heavy  Art.  fire  from  rear  was  hitting  in  position. 
Ordered  No.  6  gun  to  move  back  out  of  fire.  Moved  in  perfect  order  and 
when  shelling  from  rear  was  over  old  position  immediately  taken  up  again. 
Was  shelled  during  night,  and  about  3  a.m.  5/30/'18  Hun  dropped  his  barrage 
for  about  45  minutes.  From  4.30  a.m.  until  about  10.15  all  was  quiet.  He 
then  began  to  shell  again,  and  continued  to  shell  until  after  his  attempted 
counter  attack  failed  that  afternoon. 

10.  Had  light  shelling  during  night  with  "Flying  Pigs"  and  77's. 

11.  Was  relieved  about  3.00  a.m.  of  5/31 /'IS.  No  losses  while  being 
relieved. 

Sgt.  E showed   coolness  and  contempt  of  danger  by  visiting  gun 

positions  during  heavy  art.  fire  to  cheer  men  up  and  see  that  all  was  going 
well.  He  also  exposed  himself  to  art.  fire  to  dig  members  of  the  7th  squad 
out.  He  more  than  performed  his  duties  without  the  least  hesitation  of 
fear,  and  showed  himself  to  be  every  inch  of  a  man. 

Mech.    L deliberately  exposed  himself  to  heavy  art.  fire  to  care 

for  the  wounded.     He  and^  Pvt.  S carried  Pvt.   M back  to  aid 

station  under  fire,  and  then  started  back  to  position  while  Hun  art.  was  very 

active.     Pvt.  S was  wounded  on  way  back,  and   L carried   him 

back  to  aid  station  and  then  reported  back  to  his  platoon  while  the  Hun  art. 
was  very  heavy  on  that  position.  He  showed  coolness  and  a  contempt  for 
the  Hun  art.  and  deserves  the  greatest  credit  for  same. 

All  men  in  platoon  did  their  duty,  and  showed  the  very  best  of  courage. 

J.  H.  M 

Lt. 

With  this  report,  the  report  of  the  Third  Platoon  may  well  be 
compared  not  for  comment  on  the  course  of  the  military  action,  but 
as  a  specimen  of  composition.  It  will  be  found  not  so  easy  to  follow. 
And  this  disadvantage  will  be  seen  to  arise  from  (1)  the  lack  of  clear 
paragraph  divisions,  the  actions  of  the  5th  and  6th  sections  being 


88  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

not  easily  distinguishable ;  and  (2)  the  neglect  to  divide  this  action 
of  several  days  into  stages.  Further,  the  report  compresses  into  one 
sentence  the  events  of  three  days.  Were  it  not  for  the  reports  of 
other  platoons,  we  could  not  determine  on  what  day  the  action  began. 


From  Third  Platoon  Co.  D  2d  Bg  M  G  Bn 

Date  2  June  18 

To  C.  O.  Co.  D  2d  Bg  M  G  Bn. 

Platoon  was  in  position  at  2  :  30  a.m.     5th  section  in  jumping  off  trench 

No.  1,  Lt.  M s  in  charge.     6th  section  in  jumping  off  trench  No.  2,  Lt. 

R in  charge,  both  sections  on  left  flank  of  Co.  L,  28  Inf.     At  zero  hour, 

6  :  45,  both  sections  moved,  5th  section  in  skirmish  line  and  6th  section  with 
gun  crews  leading  advanced  in  communication  trench  and  reached  a  front 
line  trench  at  the  same  time  as  the  5th  section.  6th  section  mounted  guns 
one  in  a  shell  hole  10  yds.  in  front  of  old  front  line  and  the  other  in  the  old 
front  line,  both  guns  opened  fire  immediately  on  snipers  and  German  front 
line,  the  gun  in  shell  hole  was  placed  in  old  front  line  as  soon  as  an  Emp. 
was  made.     Both  guns  remained  in  these  positions  until  relieved  by  Co.  B. 

1st  Bg  M  G  Bn  at  4  :  00  a.m.,  May  31-1918.     Pvts.  G ,  S &  P ■ 

were   wounded  —  and   Pvt.  V Co.    M   28   Inf.   killed.      Pvt.    K 

Gunner  showed  bravery  and  coolness  under  fire  of  enemy  machine  gun  fire, 
killed  or  wounded  several  enemy  snipers  from  trees  and  on  the  ground.  5th 
Section  after  getting  through  the  wire  mounted  guns  and  began  firing.     Lt. 

M s  was  wounded  at  this  time.     By  orders  of  Lt.  M s  guns  were 

dismounted  and  advanced  to  within  50  yds.  of  enemy  front  line.  The  entire 
10th  squad  being  killed  or  wounded  during  the  advance.  The  9th  squad 
after  firing  all  their  ammunition  dismounted  gun  and  lay  15  hours  in  a  shell 
hole  and  returned  to  old  front  line  during  the  night. 

Corporal  J of  9th  squad  displayed  bravery  and  coolness  in  that  he 

kept  his  squad  intact  and  returned  with  the  remainder  of  his  squad  and  gun. 

Sgt.  K displayed  bravery  &  coolness  in  assisting  Platoon  commander 

after  being  wounded.     He  directed  the  fire  until  all  ammunition  was  ex- 


REPORTS  89 

pended  and  crawled  back  to  old  front  line  to  report  and  all  the  time  being 
under  fire  of  enemy  machine  guns. 

Pvts.  P ,  P ,  S were  killed.     Pvts.  R ,  B ,  S , 

J.  A.   R ,   W O.   D.,   K ,   S ,   M Inf.,   W Inf., 

McD Inf.,  Lt.  M s  were  wounded. 

Lt.  R 


Platoon  Commander 

80.  Cautions.  —  Several  cautions  follow  which  should  govern 
the  writing  of  both  messages  and  reports  : 

1.  In  messages  and  reports  state  only  verified  facts. 

2.  Reports  should  not  be  colored  to  make  out  a  strong  case  for 
the  writer's  command. 

3.  Do  not  overstate  the  force  of  the  enemy. 

4.  Do  not  call  for  reenforcements  when  the  need  is  slight. 

5.  Praise  only  those  subordinates  who  show  exceptional  courage 
or  ability. 

6.  In  messages  give  too  much  information  rather  than  too  little. 

7.  See  that  the  heading  is  fully  made  out. 

8.  State  the  source  of  all  information  which  is  not  your  own. 

9.  When  a  conjecture  seems  worth  forwarding,  state  it  as  a  con- 
jecture and  not  as  a  fact. 

81.  Special  T5rpes  of  Report.  —  Several  special  types  of  report 
have  been  developed  by  the  conditions  of  trench  warfare.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  Daily  Intelligence  Report,  forms  are  here  reproduced 
of  the  Shell  Report,  Snipers*  Report,  and  Patrol  Report.  They  will 
be  seen  to  go  through  special  channels,  and  they  supplement  the 
Daily  Intelligence  Report.  The  student  should  not  regard  the  forms 
as  in  any  way  fixed.  Constant  modifications  are  taking  place.  It  is 
useful  practice,  nevertheless,  to  fill  in  the  forms  with  imaginary  data, 
and  greater  realism  can  be  obtained  if  the  student  uses  them  as  a 
basis  for  his  imagined  conditions. 


90 


MILITARY  ENGLISH 


To  Officer  Commanding  Scouts, 
Bn. 

shell  report 
post{^-^ 

Covering  whole  front  from 


Date 


to 


No.  OP 

Time 

Place 

Size 

Type  op 

Shells 

No.  op  Un- 

EXPLODED 

Damage 

Casualties 

Shells 

T.M. 

Remarks 


Time. 


Signed 


Observer 


To  Officer  Commanding  Scouts, 
Bn. 

SNIPERS'  REPORT 

POST  I  ^•^'- 


Date 


Snipers  on  Duty 


INFORMATION  ABOUT 

ENEMY 
INFORMATION  ABOUT  OUR 

OWN  LINES 
REMARKS : 
CASUALTIES 
NEW  S.  H.  COMPLETED 
AEROPLANES,  ETC. 


Time- 


Signed 


Snipers. 


REPORTS 


91 


To  Officer  Commanding  Scouts, 
Bn. 


Date :  Night  of  7  &  8  April,  '18. 
No.  of  Patrol. 


PATROL  REPORT 

R] 

L  )  Sector  between  1^2  p.m.  and  4  a.m. 

CI 


GROUND  COVERED 

DISPOSITION  OF  ENEMY 

BOMBING 

ARTILLERY  &  T.  M. 

FLARES 

SPECIAL  INFORMATION : 

a.  Sounds 

h.  Wire 

c.   What  seen 
REMARKS  OR  SUGGESTIONS 


Time 


Signed 


Scouts. 


EXERCISES 

\.  Make  a  copy  of  each  of  the  forms  provided  in  this  chapter  and  fill  it 
in  with  imaginary  data. 

2.  Rewrite  the  report  of  the  Third  Platoon  of  Co.  D  given  on  page  88, 
making  clear  paragraph  divisions  and  supplementing  w  ith  information  similar 
to  that  in  the  report  of  the  Second  Platoon. 

3.  Write  a  report  of  some  recent  exercise  of  the  military  unit  in  which 
you  are  enlisted. 

4.  Write  a  report  of  a  Relief,  a  Trench  Raid,  or  a  Trench-to-Trench 
Attack  (see  Operation  Orders,  pp.  53-65). 


CHAPTER  IX 
DIARIES 

82.  Need  of  Keeping  a  Diary.  —  The  report,  when  it  is  made 
up  some  days  after  an  action,  requires  more  than  the  officer's  memory 
to  serve  as  a  foundation.  Vivid  as  are  the  experiences  of  battle,  he 
will  let  slip  details  of  time  and  place  and  personnel.  He  has  been 
relieved  and  is  behind  the  lines,  unable  to  verify  details,  as  he  writes, 
by  looking  over  the  ground.  Accordingly,  orders  and  carbons  of 
field  messages,  which  he  should  retain,  supply  material  for  report. 

The  best  means,  however,  for  insuring  good  material  in  a  report 
is  to  keep  a  diary,  and  to  endeavor  daily,  under  no  matter  what 
hardships,  to  complete  the  record  of  each  day.  Writing  the  report 
then  becomes  chiefly  a  matter  of  composition,  and  without  much 
reshaping,  for  both  the  diary  and  the  report  naturally  are  arranged 
according  to  the  sequence  of  events.  Some  days  will  be  more  fully 
recorded,  and  some  less,  than  their  relative  importance  requires  — 
conditions  at  one  time  favoring,  and  at  another  (jenying,  oppor- 
tunity for  extended  memoranda.  Therefore,  in  copying  diary  ma- 
terial into  a  report,  the  writer  must  both  compress  and  expand  the 
records  of  individual  days. 

83.  A  Specimen  Diary.  —  A  diary  is  given  here  of  the  same 
general  action  —  the  offensive  against  Cantigny  —  which  has  supplied 
examples  of  field  messages  and  reports,  with  the  purpose  of  affording 
means  of  comparison.  How  much  better  material  for  reporting  is 
provided  by  this  diary  than  by  the  field  messages. 

92 


DIARIES  93 

On  Active  Service 

WITH  THE 

American  Expeditionary  Forces 

1  June  1918 

Sunday  evening  26  May  1918  at  8  :  45  (approx.)  p.m.,  18  men  and  2  officers 
started  from  Masoncell  as  reconnoissance  party  for  the  machine  gun  com- 
pany attached  to  the  3d  Bn.  28th  Inf.  There  was  one  man  from  each  squad, 
and  each  section  sergeant.  They  were  placed  in  the  truck  with  the  company 
they  were  to  advance  with. 

Detrucking  at  N.  W.  exit  of  Rocquencourt,  the  representatives  of  each 
squad  followed  the  company  to  the  jumping  off  place,  taking  up  approximate 
position  the  guns  would  take.  The  1st  section  took  position  on  right  flank 
of  second  wave  of  M.  Co.  The  trench  was  crowded,  so  an  empty  trench 
about  30  yds.  in  front  of  2d  jumping  off  trench  was  found  and  I  decided  to 
use  it. 
27  May  1918 

At  about  5  :  30  a.m.  I  was  in  P.  C.  of  M.  G.  Co.  18th  Inf.  with  Lt.  M s 


and  Lt.  T .     A  bombardment  began  to  sound  like  a  barrage.     Lt.  T 

went  out  to  look  around.  Not  much  after,  some  one  put  his  head  into 
the  dugout  door  shouting  "The  Germans  are  coming!     Retreat!"  or  words 

to  that  effect.     Lt.  M s  and  I  both  went  out  as  fast  as  we  could  with 

guns  cocked,  asking  who  yelled  that.     We  did  not  find  him. 

I  picked  up  one  infantryman,  advanced  thru  the  rear  line  of  what  seemed 
to  be  a  box  barrage,  to  edg?  of  woods  on  top  of  the  hill.  -There  found  three 
more  infantrymen,  who  claimed  their  Lt.  and  their  corporal  had  both  gone 
back.  They  were  from  the  4th  platoon  of  Co.  H  28th  Inf.  We  held  that 
position  until  things  became  quieter. 

Lt.  M s  told  me  that  he  had  inspected  each  jumping  off  position. 

then  during  the  raid  had  gathered  infantrymen  and  held  a  line  on  my  left 
at  edge  of  woods  on  high  ground. 

At  approx.  7  p.m.  I  took  one  guide  for  each  section  back  to  500  N.  W.  of 
Rocquencourt.     Guided  my  section  to  jumping  off  trench. 


94  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

28  May  1918 

At  H  hour  we  jumped  on  top  in  skirmish  line,  fell  in  behind  1st  rank  of 
2d  wave  of  M  Co.,  advanced  in  good  shape  without  loss. 

When  objective  was  reached  the  guns  took  position  in  shell  holes  about 
30  yds.  in  front  of  where  2d  wave  started  digging.  I  made  the  mistake  of 
putting  amm.  carriers  in  old  Hun  trench.  I  remembered  instruction  of  a 
British  officer  advising  against  using  old  Hun  trenches,  and  changed  men 
to  a  shell  hole.  About  7 :  30  two  men,  D &  E ,  were  wounded  be- 
fore I  could  get  them  out  of  Hun  trench.  My  idea  of  time  is  not  accurate 
but  Hun  bombardment  came  down  15  to  30  minutes  after  objective  was 
reached,  lasting  for  about  two  hours.  During  brief  letup  I  had  men  .dig  into 
sides  of  shell  holes  so  a  direct  hit  might  not  get  all  of  the  men.  About 
11 :  30  A.M.  another  severe  bombardment.     I  had  not  more  than  three  men 

in  a  hole.     One  hole  was  hit,  killing  T and  wounding  slightly  D 

an  infantryman  amm.  carrier  attached  to  1st  squad.  A  fragment  hit  re- 
ceiver of  gun  of  1st  squad  putting  it  out  of  commission. 

Iiitermittent  shelling  the  rest  of  the  day  and  night.  At  night  I  started 
digging  sap  to  rear.,  to  infantry  trench. 

29  May  1918 

I  kept  men  below  top,  with  one  man  as  lookout  at  all  times.  I  counted 
seven  different  minute  intervals  determined  average  of  5  or  6  shells  a  minute 
dropping  in  about  300  yds.  radius.  I  also  counted  seven  groups  of  fifteen 
shells.     About  one  in  fifteen  were  duds. 

At  3  :  45  P.M.  a  severe  bombardment  lasted  two  hours.  Infantry  in 
front  of  us  retired  to  line  behind  us.  At  7 :  45  p.m.  another  two  hour  bom- 
bardment.    Intermittent  shelling  all  night. 

30  May  1918 

Very  quiet  day.     Intermittent  shelling. 

31  May  1918 

Relieved  by  B  Co.  1st  Brig.  M.  G.  Bn.  at  4  a.m. 

Note  :  I  wish  to  especially  mention  Corporal  L for  cool  behavior 

during  heavy  bombardment ;   for  daring  as  a  lookout  when  shells  were  fall- 


DIARIES  95 

ing  very  close;   and  for  his  supreme  good  morale,  thereby  elevating  that  of 
the  whole  squad  and  section. 

I  also  wish  to  mention  Sgt.  R ,  act.  cpl.  B ,  Pvts.  E ,  N , 

L ,  B ,  C and  H for  determination  in  sticking  to  gun  when 

infantry  had  retired  to  trench  in  rear  of  us,  thereby  leaving  no  one  between 
us  and  the  Hun. 

W N 

2d  Lt.  U.  S.  R. 

Such  diaries  as  this,  kny  and  every  platoon  leader  may  have 
occasion  to  write.  And  to  such  material  as  this,  the  final  histories 
of  the  war  will  have  recourse  in  tracing  the  successes  and  failures  of 
major  plans. 

84.  Headquarters  Diary.  —  The  war  diary  kept  at  headquarters 
serves  for  the  larger  command  in  precisely  the  same  way.  The 
keeping  of  this  diary  is  prescribed  in  the  Army  Regulations y  §  446 
and  Field  Service  Regulations ^  §  35.  Since,  however,  it  is  usually 
kept  by  the  adjutant,  and  hardly  one  lieutenant  in  twenty  will  have 
such  duty,  brief  treatment  will  suffice  for  the  scope  of  this  book. 

The  war  diary  may  be  prepared  by  an  officer  specially  detailed 
for  this  purpose.  In  any  case  its  daily  record  will  be  attested  by  the 
commander  or  his  adjutant.  Battalions,  higher  organizations,  and 
trains  keep  diaries,  and  forward  them  daily  to  the  next  higher  com- 
mander. He  transmits  them  direct  to  the  War  Department,  as  do 
commanders  of  armies  and  of  units  which  are  not  component  parts 
of  a  higher  command. 

85.  The  contents  form  a  concise  history  of  military  operations, 
in  units  of  the  calendar,  twenty-four  hour,  day.  Copies  of  orders 
and  messages  sent  and  received  are  attached.  Each  day's  entry 
begins  with  a  march  table,  or  a  statement  of  the  location  or  opera- 
tions of  the  command.  This  includes  an  account  of  the  weather, 
health  of  troops,  state  of  road,  camp,  etc. ;     it  renders  further  ac- 


96  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

count  of  the  supply  of  ammunition,  rations,  equipment,  and  forage. 
The  body  of  the  entry  consists  of  a  chronological  record  of  events 
with  copies  or  summaries  of  the  contents  of  orders  and  messages. 
The  precise  hour  and  place  are  recorded  for  the  following  items : 
(1)  beginning  of  a  movement  or  action;  (2)  sending  of  orders  and 
important  messages ;  (3)  receipt  of  orders  and  important  messages  ; 
(4)  ending  of  a  movement.  When  recording  an  engagement  which 
has  ended,  the  war  diary  will  report  captures  and  losses ;  it  will 
also  have  attached  a  sketch  showing  successive  positions  of  the  com- 
mand in  important  phases  of  the  action. 


CHAPTER  X 

FAMOUS   ORDERS   AND    EXAMPLES    OF    MARTIAL 
ELOQUENCE 

WASHINGTON'S  ORDER  OF  THE   DAY  ANNOUNCING  THE    ARRIVAL 
OF    THE    FRENCH    ARMY    UNDER    THE    COUNT    DE     ROCHAMBEAU 

Head-quarters,  near  Passaic,  20  July,  1780. 

The  Commander-in-chief  has  the  pleasure  to  congratulate  the  army  on 
the  arrival  of  a  large  land  and  naval  armament  at  Rhode  Island,  sent  by 
his  Most  Christian  Majesty  to  cooperate  with  the  troops  of  these  States 
against  the  common  enemy,  accompanied  with  every  circumstance  that  can 
render  it  honorable  and  useful.  The  generosity  of  tliis  succour,  and  the 
-manner  in  which  it  is  given,  is  a  new  tie  between  France  and  America.  The 
lively  concern,  which  our  allies  manifest  for  our  safety  and  independence, 
has  a  claim  to  the  affection  of  every  virtuous  citizen.  The  General  with 
confidence  assures  the  army,  that  the  officers  and  men  of  the  French  forces 
come  to  our  aid,  animated  with  a  zeal  founded  in  sentiment  for  us,  as  well  as 
in  duty  to  their  prince,  and  that  they  will  do  everything  in  their  power  to 
promote  harmony  and  cultivate  friendship.  He  is  equally  persuaded  that 
on  our  part  we  shall  vie  with  them  in  their  good  dispositions,  to  which  we 
are  excited  by  gratitude  as  well  as  by  a  common  interest ;  and  that  the  only 
contention  between  the  two  armies  will  be  to  excel  each  other  in  good  offices, 
and  in  the  display  of  every  military  virtue.  This  will  be  the  pledge  of  the 
most  solid  advantages  to  the  common  cause,  and  of  a  glorious  issue  to  the 
campaign. 

G.  Washington. 
H  97 


98  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

WASHINGTON'S  CONGRATULATORY  ORDER  TO  THE  ALLIED   ARMY 
AFTER   THE    SURRENDER    OF    LORD    CORNWALLIS    AT    YORKTOWN 

After  Orders,  20th  October,  1781. 

The  General  congratulates  the  army  upon  the  glorious  event  of  yester- 
day. The  generous  proofs  which  his  Most  Christian  Majesty  has  given  of 
his  attachment  to  the  cause  of  America  must  force  conviction  on  the  minds 
of  the  most  deceived  among  the  enemy  relative  to  the  good  consequences 
of  the  alliance,  and  inspire  every  citizen  of  these  States  with  sentiments  of 
the  most  unalterable  gratitude.  His  fleet,  the  most  numerous  and  powerful 
that  ever  appeared  in  these  seas,  commanded  by  an  admiral  whose  fortune 
and  talents  insure  great  events  —  an  army  of  the  most  admirable  composi- 
tion, both  in  officers  and  men,  are  the  pledges  of  his  friendship  to  the  United 
States,  and  their  co-operation  has  secured  us  the  present  signal  success. 

The  General  on  this  occasion  entreats  his  Excellency  Count  de  Ro- 
chambeau  to  accept  his  most  grateful  acknowledgments  for  his  counsels  at 
all  times ;  he  presents  his  warmest  thanks  to  the  Generals  Baron  de  Viomenil, 
Chevalier  Chastellux,  Marquis  de  Saint  Simon,  and  Count  de  Viomenil,  and 
to  Brigadier-General  de  Choisy  (who  had  a  separate  command),  for  the 
illustrious  manner  in  which  they  have  advanced  the  interests  of  the  common 
cause.  He  requests  that  Count  de  Rochambeau  will  be  pleased  to  communi- 
cate to  the  army  under  his  immediate  command  the  high  sense  he  entertains 
of  the  distinguished  merits  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  every  corps,  and 
that  he  will  present  in  his  name  to  the  regiments  of  Agenois  and  Deuxponts 
the  two  pieces  of  brass  ordnance  captured  by  them  (as  a  testimony  of  their 
gallantry)  in  storming  the  enemy's  redoubt  on  the  night  of  the  14th  inst., 
when  officers  and  men  so  universally  vied  with  each  other  in  the  exercise  of 
every  soldierly  virtue. 

The  General's  thanks  to  each  individual  of  merit  would  comprehend  the 
whole  army,  but  he  thinks  himself  bound  by  affection,  duty,  and  gratitude, 
to  express  his  obligations  to  Major-Generals  Lincoln,  Lafayette,  and  Steuben 
for  dispositions  in  the  trenches,  to  General  Du  Portail  and  Colonel  Carney 
[Querenet?]  for  the  vigor  and  knowledge  which  were  conspicuous  in  the 
conduct  of  the  attacks,  and  to  General  Knox  and  Colonel  d'Aboville  for 


FAMOUS  ORDERS  99 

their  great  care,  attention,  and  fatigue  in  bringing  forward  the  artillery  and 
stores,  and  for  their  judicious  and  spirited  arrangement  of  tliem  in  the 
parallels.  He  requests  the  gentlemen  above  mentioned  to  communicate 
his  thanks  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  their  respective  commands.  In- 
gratitude, which  the  General  hopes  never  to  be  guilty  of,  would  be  con- 
spicuous in  him  was  he  to  omit  thanking  in  the  warmest  terms  his  Excellency 
Governor  Nelson  for  the  aid  he  has  received  from  him  and  from  the  militia 
under  his  command,  to  whose  activity,  emulation,  and  courage  much  ap- 
plause is  due.  The  greatness  of  the  acquisition  will  be  an  ample  compensa- 
tion for  the  hardships  and  Hazards  which  they  encountered  with  so  much 
patriotism  and  firmness. 

In  order  to  diffuse  the  general  joy  through  every  breast,  the  General 
orders  that  those  men,  belonging  to  the  army,  who  may  now  be  in  confine- 
ment shall  be  pardoned,  released,  and  join  their  respective  corps.  Divine 
service  is  to  be  performed  to-morrow  in  the  several  brigades  and  divisions. 
The  commander-in-chief  recommends  that  the  troops  not  on  duty  should 
universally  attend  with  that  seriousness  of  deportment  and  gratitude  of 
heart  which  the  recognition  of  such  reiterated  and  astonishing  interpositions 

of  Providence  demand  of  us. 

G.  Washington. 

LETTERS  FROM  LAFAYETTE  TO  WASHINGTON 

[All  Lafayette's  letters  to  Washington,  as  well  as  to  other  Americans,  were  written 
in  English.     When  he  joined  the  American  Army  as  a  volunteer  in  1777,  he  was  only 

19  years  old.] 

Providence,  6th  August,  1778. 
Dear  General,  — 

Anything,  my  dear  General,  you  will  order,  or  even  wish,  shall  always 
be  infinitely  agreeable  to  me,  and  I  will  always  feel  happy  in  doing-  anything 
which  may  please  you,  or  forward  the  public  good.  I  am  of  the  same  opinion 
as  your  excellency,  that  dividing  our  continental  troops  among  the  militia, 
will  have  a  better  effect  than  if  we  were  to  keep  them  together  in  one  wing.  .  . 

The  Count  d'Estaing  was  very  glad  of  my  arrival,  as  he  could  open  freely 
his  mind  to  me.     He  expressed  the  greatest  anxiety  on  account  of  his  wants 


100  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

of  every  kind,  provisions,  water,  etc. ;  he  hopes  the  taking  of  Rhode  Island 
will  enable  him  to  get  some  of  the  two  above-mentioned  articles.  The 
admiral  wants  me  to  join  the  French  troops  to  these  I  command,  as  soon  as 
possible.  I  confess  I  feel  very  happy  to  think  of  my  co-operating  with  them, 
and,  had  I  contrived  in  my  mind  an  agreeable  dream,  I  could  not  have  wished 
a  more  pleasing  event  than  my  joining  my  countrymen  with  my  brothers  of 
America,  under  my  command,  and  the  same  standards.  When  I  left  Europe, 
I  was  very  far  from  hoping  such  an  agreeable  turn  of  our  business  in  the 
American  glorious  revolution. 


At  the  Entrance  of  Boston  Harbour,  April  27,  1780. 

Here  I  am,  my  dear  general,  and,  in  the  midst  of  the  joy  I  feel  in  finding 
myself  again  one  of  your  loving  soldiers,  I  take  but  the  time  to  tell  you  that 
I  came  from  France  on  board  a  frigate  which  the  king  gave  me  for  my  pas- 
sage. I  have  affairs  of  the  utmost  importance  which  I  should  at  first  com- 
municate to  you  alone.  In  case  my  letter  finds  you  anywhere  this  side  of 
Philadelphia,  I  beg  you  will  wait  for  me,  and  do  assure  you  a  great  public 
good  may  be  derived  from  it.  To-morrow  we  go  up  to  the  town,  and  the 
day  after  I  shall  set  off  in  my  usual  way  to  join  my  beloved  and  respected 
friend  and  general. 

Adieu,  my  dear  general ;  you  will  easily  know  the  hand  of  your  young 
soldier. 

My  compliments  to  the  family. 


Holt's  Forge,  1st  Sept.,  1781. 
My  dear  General,  —  From  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  congratulate  you 
upon  the  arrival  of  the  French  fleet.  .  .  .  Thanks  to  you,  my  dear  general, 
I  am  in  a  very  charming  situation,  and  find  myself  at  the  head  of  a  beautiful 
body  of  troops;  but  am  not  so  hasty  as  the  Count  de  Grasse,  and  think 
that,  having  so  sure  a  game  to  play,  it  would  be  madness,  by  the  risk  of  an 
attack,  to  give  anything  to  chance. 


FAMOUS  ORDfeaS;  >  101 


It  appears  Count  de  Grasse  is  in  a  great  harr;^*^  to  reliUn*  "hf^  topJces  it  a 
point  to  put  upon  my  expressions  such  constructions  as  may  favour  his  plan. 
They  have  been  pleased  to  adopt  my  ideas,  as  to  the  sending  of  vessels  into 
James  River,  and  forming  a  junction  at  Jamestown.  I  wish  they  may  also 
force  the  passage  at  York,  because  then  his  lordship  has  no  possibility  of 
escape. 

The  delay  of  Count  de  Grasse's  arrival,  the  movement  of  the  grand 
army,  and  the  alarm  there  was  at  York  have  forced  me,  for  greater  security, 
to  send  a  part  of  the  troops  to  the  south  side  of  James  River.  To-morrow 
and  the  day  after  will  be  employed  in  making  dispositions  for  covering  a 
landing,  which  will  be  done  with  continentals  discumbered  of  baggage ;  and 
on  the  5th,  agreeable  to  the  count's  desire,  a  junction  will  be  made  of  our 
troops.  I  shall  then  propose  to  the  French  general  the  taking  of  a  safe 
position,  within  ten  or  twelve  miles  of  York ;  such  a  one  as  cannot  be  forced 
without  a  much  greater  loss  than  we  could  suffer.  And,  unless  matters  are 
very  different  from  what  I  think  they  are,  my  opinion  is,  that  we  ought  to 
be  contented  with  preventing  the  enemy's  forages,  and  fatiguing  them  by 
alarming  their  picquets  with  militia,  without  committing  our  regidars. 
Whatever  readiness  the  Marquis  de  St.  Simon  has  been  pleased  to  express 
to  Colonel  Gimat,  respecting  his  being  under  me,  I  shall  do  nothing  without 
paying  that  deference  which  is  due  to  age,  talents,  and  experience;  but 
would  rather  incline  to  the  cautious  line  of  conduct  I  have  of  late  adopted. 
General  Portail  must  be  now  with  Count  de  Grasse.  He  knows  your  in- 
tentions, and  our  course  will  be  consulted  in  our  movements. 

Lord  Cornwallis  has  still  one  way  to  escape ;  he  may  land  at  West  Point, 
and  cross  James  River,  some  miles  below  Point  of  Fork ;  but  I  thought  this 
part  was  the  most  important,  as  the  other  route  is  big  with  obstacles.  How- 
ever, to  prevent  even  a  possibility,  I  would  wish  some  ships  were  above 
York.  .  .  . 

Adieu,  my  dear  general,  the  agreeable  situation  I  am  in  is  owing  to  your 
friendship,  and  is,  for  that  reason,  the  dearer  to  your  respectful  servant  and 
friend. 

Lafayette. 


102  MtL'I^4RY  ENGLISH 

•"  '  N'APdLEON'S  ORbfeR  TO  THE  ARMY  IN  ITALY 

To  His  Brothers  in  Arms 

Headquarters,  Milan,  1  Prairial,  Year  IV. 
(20  May,  1796) 

Soldiers !  You  have  precipitated  yourselves  like  a  torrent  from  the  top 
of  the  Apennines ;  you  have  overturned,  dispersed  and  scattered  everything 
which  opposed  your  march ! 

Piedmont,  delivered  from  Austrian  tyranny,  has  yielded  to  her  natural 
sentiments  of  peace  and  friendship  for  France. 

Milan  is  yours,  and  the  Republican  standard  floats  over  all  Lombardy. 

The  dukes  of  Parma  and  Modena  owe  their  political  existence  to  your 
generosity  alone. 

The  army  which  menaced  you  with  so  much  pride  now  finds  no  barrier 
which  can  insure  it  against  your  courage. 

The  Po,  the  Ticino,  the  Adda,  have  not  been  able  to  arrest  you  a  single 
day ;  these  vaunted  bulwarks  of  Italy  have  been  insufiicient ;  you  have 
crossed  them  as  rapidly  as  you  did  the  Apennines. 

So  many  successes  have  carried  joy  to  the  bosom  of  the  country ;  your 
representatives  have  ordered  a  fete,  dedicated  to  your  victories,  to  be  cele- 
brated in  all  communes  of  the  Republic ;  there  your  fathers,  your  mothers, 
your  wives,  your  sisters,  your  sweethearts,  rejoice  in  your  success,  and  boast 
with  pride  that  they  belong  to  you. 

Yes,  soldiers,  you  have  done  much ;  but  yet,  is  there  nothing  left  to  do  ? 
Shall  they  say  of  us  that  we  have  known  how  to  conquer,  but  that  we  have 
not  known  how  to  profit  by  victory?  Shall  posterity  reproach  us  with 
having  found  a  Capua  in  Lombardy  ?  But  I  see  you  already  run  to  arms ; 
a  cowardly  repose  wearies  you ;  days  lost  for  glory  are  lost  for  your  happi- 
ness. Well,  let  us  be  gone !  We  yet  have  forced  marches  to  make,  enemies 
to  suppress,  laurels  to  gather,  injuries  to  avenge. 

Let  those  who  have  sharpened  the  daggers  of  civil  war  in  France,  who 
have,  like  cowards,  assassinated  our  ministers,  and  burned  our  ships  in 
Toulon,  tremble  !     The  hour  of  vengeance  has  struck ! 


FAMOUS  ORDERS  103 

But  let  the  people  be  without  disquiet;  we  are  friends  of  all  peoples, 
and  especially  of  the  descendants  of  Brutus,  of  Scipio,  and  of  the  great  men 
whom  we  have  taken  as  models.  To  reestablish  the  Capitol,  to  place  there 
with  honor  the  statues  of  the  heroes  who  made  themselves  celebrated,  awake 
the  Roman  people,  benumbed  with  several  centuries  of  slavery,  such  shall 
be  the  fruit  of  your  victories.  They  will  make  an  epoch  in  posterity.  You 
will  have  the  immortal  glory  of  changing  the  face  of  the  most  beautiful  part 
of  Europe. 

The  French  people,  free,  respected  by  the  whole  world,  will  give  to 
Europe  a  glorious  peace,  which  will  indemnify  it  for  the  sacrifices  of  all 
kinds  it  has  made  in  the  past  six  years ;  you  will  then  go  back  to  your  hearth- 
stones, and  your  fellow  citizens  will  say  in  pointing  you  out :  "He  was  of  the 
Army  of  Italy !" 

Bonaparte. 

[On  reading  over  this  proclamation  one  day  at  St.  Helena,  the  Emperor  exclaimed : 
"And  yet  they  have  the  folly  to  say  1  could  not  write !"  —  Las  Cases,  HI,  p.  86.1 

NAPOLEON'S   ADDRESS   TO   HIS  TROOPS   AT   THE   BATTLE   OF  THE 
PYRAMIDS,   JULY  21,    1798 

["Pour  toute  harangue,  Bonaparte  leur  addresse  ces  mots,  qu'on  pent  regarder 
comme  le  sublime  de  Teloquence  militaire."  —  Lacretelle,  XIV,  p.  267.] 

Soldats !  vous  allez  combattre  aujourd'hui  les  dominateurs  de  I'Egypte ; 
songez  que  du  haut  de  ces  Pyramides,  quarante  siecles  vous  contemplent ! 

NAPOLEON'S  ORDER  FOR  THE   BATTLE  OF  AUSTERLITZ 
General  Dispositions  for  the  Day  of  the  11th 

In  Bivouac  in  Front  of  Brunn,  10  Frimaire,  Year  XIV. 
(December  1,   1805),  8.30  p.m. 
Marshal  Soult  will  give  orders  so  that  his  three  divisions  shall  be  placed 
beyond  the  ravine  (Bosenitz  Brook)  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  be  ready  to  commence  the  manoeuvre  of  the  day,  which 


104  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

is  to  be  a  march  forward  by  echelons,  the  right  wing  leading.  Marshal 
Soult  will  be  personally,  at  half-past  seven  in  the  morning,  near  the  emperor 
at  his  bivouac. 

His  Highness  Prince  Murat  will  give  orders  to  the  cavalry  of  General 
Kellermann,  to  that  of  Generals  Walther,  Beaumont,  Nansouty  and  Haut- 
poul,  so  that  the  divisions  may  be  placed  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
between  the  left  of  Marshal  Soult  and  the  right  of  Marshal  Lannes,  in  a 
manner  to  occupy  the  least  possible  space,  and  so  that  at  the  moment  when 
Marshal  Soult  shall  begin  his  march,  all  the  cavalry  under  the  orders  of 
Prince  Murat  shall  pass  the  brook,  and  find  itself  placed  in  the  centre  of  the 
army. 

General  Caffarelli  is  ordered  to  move  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
with  his  divisions  so  as  to  place  himself  on  the  right  of  Suchet's  division, 
after  having  passed  the  brook.  As  Suchet's  division  will  place  itself  in  two 
lines,  Caffarelli's  division  will  also  place  itself  in  two  lines,  each  brigade 
forming  one  line,  and  thus  the  space  which  Suchet's  division  occupies  at 
this  moment  will  be  sufficient  for  these  two  divisions. 

Marshal  Lannes  will  observe  that  Suchet's  and  Caffarelli's  divisions 
are  alwaj^s  to  be  behind  the  ridge  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  be  observed  by 
the  enemy. 

Marshal  Bernadotte  with  his  two  infantry  divisions  will  move  at  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning  into  the  same  position  which  is  occupied  to-day,  the 
10th,  by  Caffarelli's  division,  except  that  his  left  shall  be  close  to  and  behind 
the  Santon  (hill),  and  will  remain  there  in  column  by  regiments. 

Marshal  Lannes  will  order  a  division  of  grenadiers  to  place  itself  in  line 
in  front  of  his  present  position,  the  left  behind  the  right  of  General  Caffarelli. 
General  Oudinot  will  reconnoitre  the  debouch  where  he  is  to  pass  the 
brook,  which  debouch  will  be  the  same  by  which  Marshal  Soult  shall  have 
passed. 

Marshal  Davout,  with  Friant's  division  and  the  division  of  dragoons  of 
General  Bourcier,  will  start  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  from  the  Raigern 
Abbey,  to  reach  the  right  of  Marshal  Soult.  Marshal  Soult  will  dispose  of 
Gudin's  division  when  it  shall  reach  him. 

At  half-past  seven  the  marshals  will  be  near  the  emperor  in  his  bivouac, 


FAMOUS  ORDERS  105 

so  that,  according  to  the  movements  the  enemy  may  have  made  during  the 
night,  he  may  give  new  orders. 

The  cavalry  of  Marshal  Bernadotte,  in  consequence  of  the  above  dis- 
positions, is  placed  under  the  orders  of  Marshal  Murat,  who  will  indicate 
to  it  the  hour  it  is  to  leave  so  as  to  be  in  position  at  seven  o'clock. 

Prince  Murat  will  equally  dispose  of  the  light  cavalry  of  Marshal  Lannes. 

All  the  troops  will  remain  in  the  dispositions  indicated  above  until  new 
orders. 

As  the  cavalry  of  Prince  Murat  must  in  its  first  position  occupy  as  little 
space  as  possible,  he  will  put  it  in  column. 

Marshal  Davout  will  find  at  the  Abbey  a  squadron  and  a  half  of  the  21st 
regiment  of  dragoons,  which  he  will  send  to  the  bivouac. 

Each  of  the  marshals  will  give  the  orders  which  apply  to  him  in  conse- 
quence of  the  present  dispositions. 

Napoleon. 


NAPOLEON'S  PROCLAMATION  ON  HIS  RETURN  FROM  ELBA 
To  THE  Army 

GoLFE  JoUAX,  1  March,  1815. 

Soldiers !  In  my  exile  I  have  heard  your  voice.  I  have  come  to  you 
through  every  obstacle,  every  danger. 

Your  general,  called  to  the  throne  by  the  voice  of  the  people  and  raised 
on  your  bucklers,  is  back  among  you ;   come  to  him ! 

Pluck  off  the  colors  that  the  nation  has  proscribed,  and  that,  for  twenty- 
five  years,  were  the  rallying  point  of  all  the  enemies  of  France.  Put  on  the 
tricolor  cockade ;   you  wore  it  in  our  great  days. 

Take  again  these  eagles  which  you  had  at  Ulm,  at  Austerlitz,  at  Jena, 
at  Eylau,  at  Friedland,  at  Tudela,  at  Eckmiilil,  at  Essling,  at  Wagram,  at 
Smolensk,  at  the  Moskowa,  at  Liitzen,  at  Wurschen,  at  Montmirail !  Do 
you  believe  that  the  little  handful  of  Frenchmen  who  are  so  arrogant  to-day 
can  support  their  sight .^  They  will  return  whence  they  came;  there  let 
them  reign  as  they  pretend  that  they  did  reign  these  last  nineteen  years. 


106  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

Soldiers,  rally  around  the  standard  of  your  chief !  Victory  will  advance 
at  the  double !  The  Eagle,  with  the  national  colors,  will  fly  from  steeple 
to  steeple  to  the  towers  of  Notre  Dame.  Then  will  you  be  able  to  display 
your  honorable  scars.  Then  will  you  be  able  to  claim  the  credit  of  your 
deeds,  as  the  liberators  of  your  country.  In  your  old  age,  surrounded  and 
honored  by  your  fellow-citizens,  all  will  respectfully  listen  while  you  narrate 
your  great  deeds ;  you  will  be  able  to  say  with  pride :  "And  I  also  was  one 
of  that  Grand  Army  that  twice  entered  the  walls  of  Vienna,  of  Rome,  of 
Berlin,  of  Madrid,  of  Moscow,  and  that  cleansed  Paris  from  the  stain  left 
on  it  by  treason  and  the  presence  of  the  enemy  !" 

Napoleon. 

GENERAL  GRANT'S  LETTER  TO  THE   COMMANDANT  OF  FORT 

DONELSON 

Hd-Qrs.,  Army  in  the  Field 
Camp  near  Donelson,  Feb.  16th,  1862 
Gen.  S.  B.  Buckner, 
Confed.  Army, 

Sir: 
Yours  of  this  date  proposing  Armistice,  and  appointment  of  Commis- 
sioners, to  settle  terms  of  Capitulation  is  just  received.     No  terms  except 
an  unconditional  and  immediate  surrender  can  be  accepted. 
I  propose  to  move  immediately  upon  your  works. 

I  am  Sir,  very  respectfully 

Your  obt.  Sevt. 

U.  S.  Grant 

Brig.  Gen. 

GENERAL  GRANT'S  ORDER  AFTER  THE   BATTLE  OF  PORT  GIBSON 

Hdqrs.  Dept  of  the  Tennessee 
General  Orders, 

No.  32  In  Field,  Hankinson's  Ferry,  Miss.,  May  7,  1863. 

Soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee!  Once  more  I  thank  you  for 
adding  another  victory  to  the  long  list  of  those  previously  won  by  your 


FAMOUS  ORDERS  107 

valor  and  endurance.  The  triumph  gained  over  the  enemy  near  Port  Gib- 
son, on  the  1st  instant,  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  war.  The  cap- 
ture of  five  cannon  and  more  than  1000  prisoners,  the  possession  of  Grand 
Gulf,  and  a  firm  foothold  upon  the  highlands  between  the  Big  Black  and 
Bayou  Pierre,  from  whence  we  threaten  the  whole  line  of  the  enemy,  are 
among  the  fruits  of  this  brilliant  achievement.  The  march  from  Milliken's 
Bend  to  a  point  opposite  Grand  Gulf  was  made  in  stormy  weather,  over  the 
worst  of  roads ;  bridges  and  ferries  had  to  be  constructed ;  moving  by  night 
as  well  as  by  day,  with  labors  incessant  and  extraordinary,  privations  have 
been  endured  by  men  and  officers  as  have  rarely  been  paralleled  in  any  cam- 
paign. Not  a  murmur  nor  a  complaint  has  been  uttered.  A  few  days' 
continuance  of  the  same  zeal  and  constancy  will  secure  to  this  army  the 
crowning  victory  over  the  rebellion.  More  difficulties  and  privations  are 
before  us.  Let  us  endure  them  manfully.  Other  battles  are  to  be  fought. 
Let  us  fight  them  bravely.     A  grateful  country  will  rejoice  at  our  success, 

and  history  will  record  it  with  immortal  honor. 

U.  S.  Grant, 

Major-General,  Conmianding. 

MARSHAL   JOFFRE'S    ORDER   FOR   BEGINNING   THE   FIRST   BATTLE 

OF  THE  MARNE 

September  4,  1914 

1.  It  is  fitting  to  take  advantage  of  the  rash  situation  of  the  First  Ger- 
man Army  to  concentrate  upon  it  the  efforts  of  the  Allied  Armies  on  the 
extreme  left.  All  dispositions  will  be  made  in  the  course  of  September  5  to 
start  for  the  rttack  on  September  6. 

2.  The  disposition  to  be  carried  out  by  the  evening  of  September  5 
will  be : 

(a)  All  the  available  forces  of  the  Sixth  Army  to  be  to  the  northeast  of 
Meaux,  ready  to  cross  the  Ourcq  between  Lizy-sur-Ourcq  and  May-en- 
Multien,  in  the  general  direction  of  Chateau-Thierry.  The  available  ele- 
ments of  the  First  Cavalry  Corps  which  are  at  hand  will  be  placed  for  this 
operation  under  the  orders  of  General  Maunoury  (commanding  the  Sixth 
Army). 


108  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

(b)  The  British  Army  will  be  posted  on  the  front  of  Changis-Coulom- 
miers,  facing  eastward,  ready  to  attack  in  the  general  direction  of  Montmirail. 

(c)  The  Fifth  Army,  closing  a  little  to  its  left,  will  post  itself  on  the 
general  front  of  Courtacon-Esternay-Sezanne,  ready  to  attack  in  the  general 
direction  from  south  to  north,  the  Second  Cavalry  Corps  securing  the  con- 
nection between  the  British  Army  and  the  Fifth  Army. 

(d)  The  Ninth  Army  will  cover  the  right  of  the  Fifth  Army,  holding  the 
southern  exits  from  the  marsh  of  Saint-Gond  and  carrying  part  of  its  forces 
on  to  the  plateau  north  of  Sezanne. 

3.  The  offensive  will  be  taken  by  these  different  armies  on  September  6, 
beginning  in  the  morning. 

JOFFRE, 

.    General-in-chief  of  the  French  Armies. 


MARSHAL  JOFFRE'S  ORDER  ON  THE  MORNING  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF 

THE  MARNE 

6  September,  1914.    . 

At  the  moment  when  a  battle  on  which  the  safety  of  the  country  depends 
is  about  to  begin,  it  is  necessary  to  remind  all  that  it  is  no  longer  the  time  to 
look  behind ;  all  efforts  must  be  employed  in  attacking  and  driving  back  the 
enemy !  Troops  which  can  advance  no  farther  must,  cost  what  it  may, 
hold  the  conquered  ground  and  allow  themselves  to  be  killed  on  the  spot 
rather  than  give  way. 

In  such  circumstances,  no  faltering  can  be  tolerated. 

JoFFRE 


MARSHAL    FOCH'S    DISPATCH    DURING   THE    BATTLE   OF  THE 

MARNE 

My  left  has  been  rolled  up,  my  right  has  been  driven  in ;   therefore  I 
attack  with  my  center. 

FocH 


FAMOUS  ORDERS  109 

GENERAL  PERSHING'S  SALUTATION  AT  THE  TOMB  OF 
LAFAYETTE,   15  JUNE,   1917 

Lafayette,  nous  voici ! 

FIELD  MARSHAL  HAIG'S  ORDER  DURING  THE  GERMAN  OFFENSIVE 

OF   1918 

AprU  12,  1918. 
To  all  ranks  of  the  British  Army  in  France : 

Every  position  must  be  held  to  the  last  man.  There  must  be  no  retire- 
ment. With  our  backs  to  the  wall  and  believing  in  the  justice  of  our  cause, 
each  of  us  must  fight  to  the  end.  The  safety  of  our  homes  and  the  freedom 
of  mankind  depend  alike  on  the  conduct  of  each  one  of  us  at  this  last  moment. 

D.  Haig, 
Commander-in-chief  of  the  British  Armies  in  France. 

MARSHAL    FOCH'S    TELEGRAM    TO    GENERAL    PERSHING    ON    THE 
FIRST    ANNIVERSARY  OF  AMERICAN    TROOPS  IN  FRANCE 

13  June,  1918. 
A  year  ago  you  brought  to  us  the  American  sword.     To-day  we  have 
seen  it  strike.     It  is  the  certain  pledge  of  victory.     By  it  our  hearts  are 
more  closely  united  than  ever. 

FOCH 

MARSHAL  PETAINS  ORDER  OF  THE  DAY  AFTER  THE  SECOND 
BATTLE  OF  THE   MARNE 

August  8,  1918. 

Four  years  of  effort,  with  our  staunch  allies ;  four  years  of  trials  stoically 
endured,  begin  to  bear  fruit. 

His  fifth  attempt  in  1918  smashed,  the  invader  retreats,  his  manpower 
decreases  and  his  morale  wavers,  while  at  your  side  your  American  brothers 
have  no  sooner  lauded  than  they  have  made  a  baffled  enemy  feel  the  weight 
of  their  blows. 


110  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

Incessantly  placed  in  the  advance  guard  of  the  allied  peoples,  you  have 
prepared  the  triumphs  of  tomorrow. 

Not  long  ago  I  said  to  you  :   "Abnegation,  patience;   your  comrades  are 
arriving." 

To-day  I  say :   "Tenacity,  audacity;   you  shall  force  victory." 
Soldiers  of  France,  I  salute  your  banners  illuminated  with  new  glory. 

Petain 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  French  Arniies 


GENERAL  MANGIN'S  ORDER  OF  THE  DAY    THANKING    THE  AMER- 
ICAN   TROOPS    FOR    THEIR    PARTICIPATION    IN     THE     OFFENSIVE 
AGAINST  THE   CHATEAU-THIERRY  SALIENT 

August  7,  1918. 

Officers,  non-commissioned  officers,  and  soldiers  of  the  Third  American 
Army  Corps : 

Shoulder  to  shoulder  with  your  French  comrades,  you  threw  yourselves 
into  the  counter-offensive  begun  on  July  18.  You  ran  to  it  like  going  to  a 
feast.  Your  magnificent  dash  upset  and  surprised  the  enemy,  and  your 
indomitable  tenacity  stopped  counter-attacks  by  his  fresh  divisions.  You 
have  shown  yourselves  to  be  worthy  sons  of  your  great  country  and  have 
gained  the  admiration  of  your  brothers  in  arms. 

Ninety-one  cannon,  7200  prisoners,  immense  booty,  and  10  kilometres 
of  reconquered  territory  are  your  share  of  the  trophies  of  this  victory.  Be- 
sides this,  you  have  acquired  a  feeling  of  your  superiority  over  the  barbarian 
enemy  against  whom  the  children  of  liberty  are  fighting.  To  attack  him  is 
to  vanquish  him. 

American  comrades,  I  am  grateful  to  you  for  the  blood  you  generously 
spilled  on  the  soil  of  my  country.  I  am  proud  of  having  commanded  you 
during  such  splendid  days  and  to  have  fought  with  you  for  the  deliverance 

of  the  world. 

Mangin 

The  Commanding  General  of  the  10th  Army. 


FAMOUS  ORDERS  111 

GENERAL    PERSHING'S    ORDER    AFTER    THE    SECOND    BATTLE    OF 

THE   MARNE 

August  27,  1918. 

It  fills  me  with  pride  to  record  in  general  orders  a  tribute  to  the  service 
achievements  of  the  1st  and  3d  Corps,  comprising  the  1st,  2d,  3d,  4th,  26th, 
28th,  32d,  and  42d  Divisions  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces. 

You  came  to  the  battlefield  at  a  crucial  hour  for  the  allied  cause.  For 
almost  four  years  the  most  formidable  army  the  world  has  yet  seen  had 
pressed  its  invasion  of  France  and  stood  threatening  its  capital.  At  no 
time  has  that  army  been  more  powerful  and  menacing  than  when,  on  July  15, 
it  struck  again  to  destroy  in  one  great  battle  the  brave  men  opposed  to  it  and 
to  enforce  its  brutal  will  upon  the  world  and  civilization. 

Three  days  later,  in  conjunction  with  our  allies,  you  counter-attacked. 
The  allied  armies  gained  a  brilliant  victory  that  marks  the  turning  point 
of  the  war.  You  did  more  than  to  give  the  Allies  the  support  to  which,  as 
a  nation,  our  faith  was  pledged.  You  proved  that  our  altruism,  our  pacific 
spirit,  and  our  sense  of  justice  have  not  blinded  our  virility  or  our  courage. 

You  have  shown  that  American  initiative  and  energy  are  as  fit  for  the 
tasks  of  war  as  for  the  pursuits  of  peace.  You  have  justly  won  unstinted 
praise  from  our  Allies  and  the  eternal  gratitude  of  our  countrymen. 

We  have  paid  for  our  success  with  the  lives  of  many  of  our  brave  com- 
rades. We  shall  cherish  their  memory  always  and  claim  for  our  history 
and  literature  their  bravery,  achievement,  and  sacrifice. 

This  order  will  be  read  to  all  organizations  at  the  first  assembly  forma- 
tions following  its  receipt. 

Pershing. 


MARSHAL  PETAIN'S  ORDER  OF  THE  DAY  ON  THE  SURRENDER 

OF  GERMANY 

November  12,  1918 
To  the  French  armies :    During  long  months  you  have  fought.     History 
will  record  the  tenacity  and  fierce  energy  displayed  during  these  four  years 
by  our  country  which  had  to  vanquish  in  order  not  to  die. 


112  MILITARY  ENGLISH 

To-morrow,  in  order  better  to  dictate  peace,  you  are  going  to  carry  your 
arms  as  far  as  the  Rhine.  Into  that  land  of  Alsace-Lorraine  that  is  so  dear 
to  us  you  will  march  as  liberators.  You  will  go  further;  all  the  way  into 
Germany  to  occupy  lands  which  are  the  necessary  guarantees  for  just  repara- 
tion. 

France  has  suffered  in  her  ravaged  fields  and  in  her  ruined  villages.  The 
freed  provinces  have  had  to  submit  to  intolerable  vexations  and  odious 
outrages,  but  you  are  not  to  answer  these  crimes  by  the  commission  of  vio- 
lences, which,  under  the  spur  of  your  resentment,  may  seem  to  you  legitimate. 

You  are  to  remain  under  discipline  and  to  show  respect  to  persons  and 
property.  You  will  know,  after  having  vanquished  your  adversary  by  force 
of  arms,  how  to  impress  him  further  by  the  dignity  of  your  attitude,  and  the 
world  will  not  know  which  to  admire  most,  your  conduct  in  success  or  your 
heroism  in  fighting. 

I  address  a  fond  and  affectionate  greeting  to  our  dead  whose  sacrifices 
gave  us  the  victory.  And  I  send  a  message  of  salutation,  full  of  sad  affection, 
to  the  fathers,  to  the  mothers,  to  the  widows  and  orphans  of  France,  who, 
in  these  days  of  national  joy,  dry  their  tears  for  a  moment  to  acclaim  the 
triumph  of  our  arms.     I  bov\^  my  head  before  your  magnificent  flags. 

Vive  la  France ! 

Petain 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the  French  Armies 


LIST  OF  USUAL  ABBREVIATIONS 

1.  The  following  abbreviations  are  customary  in  routine  military  forms 
and  correspondence.  Periods  are  used  after  abbreviations  in  the  A.  G.  D., 
but  not  necessarily  on  less  formal  records,  especially  when  in  capital  letters. 

2.  In  abbreviations,  ambiguity  must  be  avoided.  Calif,  is  better  than 
Col.,  which  might  be  misread  as  Col.     Use  Colo. 

3.  Abbreviations  are  often  combined  without  spacing,  as  AGOWD,  made 
up  of  AGO  and  WD. 


Addl. 

Additional 

AW 

Articles  of  War 

ADist. 

Artillerj'  District 

AWOL 

Absent  without  leave 

Adjt. 

Adjutant 

Adm. 

Administrative 

B 

Base 

Adv. 

Advance 

Bg. 

Brigade 

AEF 

American    Expeditionary 

Bks. 

Barracks 

Force 

Bn. 

Battalion 

Almt. 

Allotment 

Brig. 

Brigadier 

AM. 

Allotted 

Btry. 

Battery 

Am. 

Ammunition 

Bull. 

Bulletin 

Amh. 

Ambulance 

Apmt. 

Appointment 

C.A. 

Coast  Artillery 

Appd. 

Approved 

CAuth 

Civil  Authorities 

Aptd. 

Appointed 

CAC 

Coast  Artillery  Corps 

AR 

Army  Regulations 

Col. 

Calibre 

A.R. 

Automatic  Rifle 

Capt. 

Captain 

AH. 

Artillery 

Cav. 

Cavalry 

AH. 

Artificer 

C.C.P. 

Committee  on  Classifica- 

ASAP 

Air   Service   Aeronautics 

tion  of  Personnel 

Production 

CDef 

Coast  Defenses 

ASMA 

Air  Service  Military  Aero- 

Ch. Stf. 

Chief  of  Staff 

nautics 

Cir. 

Circular 

Asst. 

Assistant 

C  &GE 

Clothing     and     Garrison 

ATSR 

Army  Transport  Service 

Equipage 

Regulations 

C.G. 

Commanding  General 

113 


114 


MILITARY  ENGLISH 


Ck. 

Cook 

Engr. 

Engineer 

CI. 

Class 

ER 

Expert  Rifleman 

Clo. 

Clothing 

ETS 

Expiration    of    Term    of 

Cm. 

Casemate 

Service 

CO. 

Commanding  Officer 

CO 

Company  Orders 

FA 

Field  Artillery 

Co. 

Company 

Far. 

Farrier 

C.  of  M. 

Certificate  of  Merit 

Fm. 

Fireman 

C.  of  0. 

Chief  of  Ordnance 

FO 

Field  Orders 

C.  of  S. 

Chief  of  Staff 

Fr. 

From 

Col. 

Colonel 

FSR 

Field  Service  Regulations 

Col. 

Column 

Ft. 

Fort 

Com. 

Commutation 

Comb. 

Combat 

Gar. 

Garrison 

Comdg. 

Commanding 

GCM{0) 

General     Court    Martial 

Conf. 

Confined 

(Order) 

Contd. 

Continued 

Gd. 

Guard 

Corp. 

Corporal 

Gen.   or 

Cpl. 

Corporal 

Genl. 

General 

C.T. 

Communication  Trench 

Gn.  Ptr. 

Gun  Pointer 

c.  s. 

current  series 

GO 

General  Orders 

GOP 

General  Orders,  Post 

D 

Division 

G.S. 

General  Staff 

D 

Director 

D 

Department 

H 

Hour 

Disch. 

Discharge 

HA 

Horse  Artillery 

DC 

Dental  Corps 

H.E. 

High  Explosive 

Deps. 

Deposits 

Hon. 

Honorable 

Dept. 

Department 

Hosp. 

Hospital 

Det. 

Detachment 

Hs. 

Horseshoer 

Dishon. 

Dishonorable 

HQ 

Headquarters 

Dist. 

District 

Hv.A 

Heavy  Artillery 

Div. 

Divisions 

D/L 

Descriptive  List 

Inc. 

Inclusive 

do 

ditto 

Incl. 

Inclosure 

DS 

Detached  Service 

IDE 

Infantry     Drill     Regula- 
tions 

E&A 

Enlistment    and    Assign- 

Ind. 

Indorsement 

ment 

Inf. 

Infantry 

ED 

Extra  Duty 

Insp. 

Inspector 

Erd. 

Enlisted 

Int. 

Intelligence 

LIST   OF   USUAL   ABBREVLVTIONS 


115 


J.A. 

Judge  Advocate 

OD 

Ordnance  Department 

O.P. 

Observation  Patrol 

K.P. 

Kitchen  Police 

P 

Post;  Patrol 

LA 
LD 

Light  Artillery 
Line  of  Duty 

Par. 
P.C. 

pd. 
PE 
PH 
PL 

Port. 

Paragraph 

Command  Post  (French) 

Paid 

Post  Exchange 

Post  Hospital 

Post  Laundry 

Ponton 

L.  of  C.       Line  of  Communication 
Lt.               Lieutenant 
Lt.  {or          Lieutenant 
Lieut.)  Col.     Colonel 

PS 

Philippine  Scouts 

MA 

Mountain  Artillery 

Pvt. 

Private 

Maj. 

Major 

MC 

Medical  Corps 

QMC 

Quartermaster  Corps 

Mch. 

Mechanic 

QMG 

Quartermaster  General 

Med. 

Medical 

Qrs: 

Quarters 

MG 

Machine  Gun 

Qiial. 

Qualification 

MIGD 

Manual  of  Interior  Guard 

Duty 

R. 

Ration 

Mil. 
Mm. 

Military 
Marksman 

Reaptd. 
Rd. 

Reappointed 
Reduced 

MMD 

Manual   of   the   Medical 

Reenl. 

Reenl  isted 

Department 

Regt. 

Regiment 

Mo. 

Month 

Regtl. 

Regimental 

MP 

Military  Police 

Reld. 

Relieved 

Mr 

Master 

relet 

With  reference  to  letter 

MRC 

Medical  Reserve  Corps 

retel 

With    reference    to    tele- 

mtd 

Mounted 

gram 

Res. 

Reserve 

NCO 

Noncommissioned  Officer 

Ret 

Retired 

NCOCQ 

Noncommissioned  Officer 

RO 

Regimental  Orders 

in  charge  of  quarters 

RS 

Regular  Supplies 

NCS 

Noncommissioned  StaflF 

RSO 

Regimental  Special  Order 

Ry. 

Railways 

0 

Orders 

0 

Office  (O.C.  of  O.     Office 

SA 

Small  Arms 

of   the   Chief   of   Ord- 

SAFM 

Small        Arms        Firing 

nance) 

Manual 

Ohs. 

Observer 

SbO 

Switchboard  Operator 

OD 

Olive  Drab 

sc 

Summary  Court 

116 


MILITARY  ENGLISH 


SCD 

Surgeon's   Certificate  for 

Am. 

Tn.   Ammunition  train 

Discharge 

C.  Tn.      Combat  train 

SD  . 

Special  Duty 

F.  Tn.      Field  train 

s.d. 

Same  date 

Sn.  Tn.    Sanitary  train 

Sec. 

Section 

Sp.  Tn.    Supply  train 

Sentd. 

Sentenced 

T.P.S. 

Terrestrial  Signal  Panels 

Sep. 

Separate 

Tr. 

Transfer 

SergL 

Sergeant 

TR 

Transportation  Request 

Sgt. 

Sergeant 

Sig. 

Signal 

V.B. 

Viven-Bessieres      Riflt 

Sig.  Cps. 

Signal  Corps 

Grenade 

SMP 

Submarine  Mine  Property 

VC 

Veterinary  Corps 

SO 

Special  Orders 

VOCO 

Verbal  Order  of  the  Com 

SOL 

"  Soldier  out  of  Luck  " 

manding  Officer 

SOP 

Special  Orders,  Post 

(VO  appears  in  combination  with: 

S.P. 

Snipers  Patrol 

BC 

Battery  Commander 

SpCM 

Special  Court  Martial 

CC 

Company  Commander 

Sq. 

Squadron 

PC 

Post  Commander 

Sqd. 

Squad 

RC 

Regimental  Commander 

Ss.      . 

Sharpshooter 

TC 

Troop  Commander 

Sub. 

Subsistence 

Vou. 

Voucher 

Tel. 

Telegraph 

T.M. 

Trench  Mortar 

WD 

War  Department 

Tn. 

Train,  in  the  following  : 

Wrnt. 

Warrant 

For  a  Glossary  of  War  Terms,  French  and  English,  see  Lt.  Col.  Paul 
Azan,  The  War  of  Positions,  Cambridge,  1917. 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


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